77 Fairy Tail One Shots
by AvaEobane
Summary: 50th: Stronger, Levy # 51st: Flames, Natsu # 52nd: Mermaid, Aquarius # 53rd: Fooled, Erza Knightwalker, AU # 54th: Happiness, Rogue, Yukino # 55th: Opposing Gates, Stellar Spirits # 56th: Flowers, Mira, Elfman # 57th: Kids, Elfgreen # 58st: Remorse, Yukino x Rogue # 59th: Fish, Charle x Happy # 60th: Victory, Lisanna x Bixslow # 61st: All alone, Lisanna
1. Thunder Laxana Childhood

**1st: Thunder**

_Another Laxana Story but this one is dedicated to **HeirToTheShadows** who is an amazing Laxana-writer herself and I can only recommend her stories! This is the least I can do after bothering her to write more and more Laxana-stories for me._

* * *

Fairy Tail's mixed dorm.  
Midnight.  
Dark clouds had formed huge balls in the nightly sky and every one in a while, lightening brightened up the darkness with a loud, resounding thunder.

For Laxus, this was the greatest weather he had seen in months. He loved the way the air felt on his skin, pure and full of energy. He walked through the hallways and glared at Jet and Droy who were camping in front of Levy's door (which was nothing out of the ordinary) before he nearly tripped over Elfman who slept in front of Lisanna's door (probably on Mirajane's orders to protect the youngest sibling from 'those rowdies' who happened to be Gray and Natsu). Erza passed the young Lightening Mage, probably on her way to the kitchen to get another slice of strawberry cake which would be normal as well.

The young lightening mage huffed. Those kids were crazy and tended to cause far too much destruction when they used their magic. Seriously, where the Strauss-siblings trained (especially Mirajane), everything was destroyed afterwards. He had thought that after the stupid Ice Mage, nothing could shock him but the Fire Dragon Slayer … he sighed. Sure, Mirajane was even worse but her madness had method and could be avoided by following a few simple rules (no insults against her or her siblings, never complaining when she cooked and throwing hateful glances at Erza and her group).

Still, as the eldest member of the dorm, he had to check if everything was alright. He looked forward to passing the S-class exam and earning enough money to live in his own flat but for now, those were just dreams. He shook his head to get rid of those thoughts before he continued his way through the building. Close to Gray's room, he ran into Cana who looked frightened. A part of him wanted to ignore her and to go to bed because he was tired but another part of him shook his head and forced him to stop in front of the young and talented Card Mage. "Is there a problem, Cana?" he asked calmly.

She bit her lower lip. "Gray isn't there," she stated as she looked up to him.

"Yeah, he and Natsu got stuck in the guild because of the prank they pulled," the blonde explained. "You were searching for him, I guess. Care to tell me why?"

"Gray understands," she said softly as she stared at the ground. "He understands better than the others … and usually, he comforts me on night like these."

"You are afraid of thunderstorms, Cana?" he asked even though his evil side demanded that he should leave her with her problems alone and get to sleep.

"I wasn't … **before**," she muttered because as he had noticed before, she was a proud one. Laxus had spent quite a few hours with her when she had first joined the guild and his grandfather had told him to keep an eye on the silent and strangely mature girl. He had complained, of course, but she wasn't half as annoying as the other kids. And so he knew that her mother had died a few months ago and that she had come to Fairy Tail to find her father who happened to be no one else but Laxus' idol – the infamous Crash Mage, Gildarts Clive.

"Before your mom died?" Laxus asked as he bent down to be on her eye level.

"She died on a night like this," Cana explained. "I … I really miss her, you know … especially since … you know … he didn't recognise her."

"Pssh, don't cry, alright? I am not sure if I could deal with this right now," he said as he patted her head awkwardly. "So, if Gray was here, what would he do?"

"He … he would stay with me," she said. "B-but it's okay … I am sure that I can manage alone."

"Don't be ridiculous," he said as he got up again. "If you want to, you can stay with me. I am not Gray but I'm a lightening mage so the lightening won't harm you as long as I am there."

And seeing that Cana trusted Laxus because he had been the first to listen to her when she had joined the guild, she nodded and together, they went back to her room where they sat down on the couch and watched the thunderstorm outside. Laxus protectively wrapped one arm around her shoulders and she rested her head against his chest.

"You like thunderstorms, don't you?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Grandfather used to tell me stories about a Lightening Goddess and her fellow gods when I was younger. He said that he had them from grandmother…"

"You have a grandmother?" she asked interested. "I never saw her in the guild…"

"Well, she doesn't like humans all that much," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "But well, grandfather says that she has her kind moments – but I mostly got to see her when her mood was really bad … and she gets scary when she's mad at someone. She once threw … Raven Tail's master through the forest because he walked across her lawn. She doesn't like him – at all."

"What is Raven Tail?" she asked as she frowned slightly.

"A dark guild – that means that it's a guild that isn't or never was recognised as a guild by the Magic Council – in a way, that makes them criminal organisations. Most dark guilds look down on guilds like Fairy Tail because we … well … mostly listen to the rules the Magic Council imposed because those fools believe that the Council limits a guild's power," Laxus explained.

"B-but Fairy Tail always gets in trouble because we destroy too much," she said. "Does this mean that we will become a dark guild one day as well?"

He chuckled. "Unlike those rogue mages, we know where to stop and we have good attentions even if we go a little bit too far sometimes," he said. "And we have guys like Mystogan – he would never get in trouble and he is well-respected by most people even if we all wonder what his face might look like because we actually never saw it."

"So we don't have to hold back?" she asked as she looked up at him.

"Well, according to the Council, we should hold back a bit because we ruin too much but I wonder what they will say once Mirajane is allowed to go on missions all by herself. Her Satan Soul Takeover isn't to be underestimated," he said. "But don't worry – I would never allow Fairy Tail to become a dark guild because … we are no criminals. **You** are no criminal."

"Thank you, Laxus," she whispered as she looked outside. "Thank you very much."

"Don't worry," he smiled as he patted her head. "And believe me – before we would be declared as a dark guild, it would hit Phantom Lord. Those guys are the real problem."

"Yeah … the adults say the same thing…" she muttered. "The sky … it looks beautiful in a way."

"Awesome, right?" he said slightly excited. "Lightening Magic is a beautiful magic…"

"Somehow, I am never afraid of your lightening," she confessed. "Because … it's nakama."

"That's a funny thing to say but yes, you are right there," he said. "Anyway, I got you a new card when I was on my mission with your father before he went away again. I had hoped that he would notice you when I would talk a little bit about you."

"He never notices," she said bitterly as she forced herself not to cry.

"I … I am sorry," he said. "And do you know what he said when I bought the card? 'Isn't she a little bit too young to be your girlfriend, Laxus?' Honestly, what I wrong with this guy?"

"That is slightly … sick," she said as she shuddered a little bit.

"Yeah," he agreed as he took the card from his pocket. "I hope you can use it. The shopkeeper said that it's a lightening card. So you can always carry a bit of me around with you."

"That's kind of you," she said as she looked at the new card. "I think I like it."

"That's good," he grinned sheepishly. "Maybe I can get some rarer ones the next time I am away from this boring town … I heard somewhere that a card maker in the East of the country could make a Summon-Laxus-card … but these cards are extremely expensive … cost more than an S-class-job would gain me…"

"Don't worry," she said with a smile. "It's not like you would ever be really far away after all."

* * *

The next morning, it was Erza who had been sent by Gray to check on Cana because the young Ice Mage was still stuck in the guild with Natsu and the red-haired mage froze in the doorway of Cana's room because the Card Mage wasn't alone. On the couch, cuddled next to each other like kittens, slept Laxus Dreyar and Cana Alberona – and for once, Laxus wasn't even frowning. In Cana's small hand was a card that showed a lightening bolt and the other girl shook her head as she walked away. To her, it was obvious that Laxus had bought the card for the young Card Mage who was still working hard on getting more cards for her magical attacks.

"Sweet, huh?" Mira smirked evilly. "I am so going to blackmail them with this."

"That would be mean," her little sister muttered under her breath. "Cana is such a nice person and she doesn't deserve to be blackmailed…"

"She beats me in every game we play. She totally deserves it!"


	2. Just kids Gruvia Childhood

**2****nd****: Just kids**

* * *

She hated her life because it was a nightmare. She was eight years old and the other children hated her because wherever she was, it rained and they wanted to play outside which was not possible when it rained. So they accused her of making it rain on purpose. To her, every moment of her life was a moment of loneliness and deep down, she wanted nothing more than to escape but she had nowhere to go.

Magnolia's orphanage was full this winter after many people had died from an illness and no one noticed the blue-haired girl leaving the building to take a stroll through the abandoned park. For all the misery it caused, the rain also protected her from villains who rather stayed in the warm houses so maybe, it was not all that bad.

Her tears were invisible in the rain and in her pocket, her left hand curled up into a tight little fist. She hated her life but even though everyone blamed her, she knew that it was not her fault. She was not to blame for the rain and everything else. The others were responsible for this. At least she tried to tell herself this because she was sick of blaming herself all the time. She could not do this anymore. It was too painful for her. She hated herself for being too shy to speak up for herself because the words she had never said burnt in her throat and it hurt so much that she was always shunned for something she had no influence on.

* * *

He was unhappy with his current situation. His life seemed to be dark even after Ur, his beloved teacher, had sacrificed herself to seal his darkness and his life was sad and he tried very hard not to cry even though he wanted nothing more than that. After Ur's so-called death, he had left the North and currently, he was in Magnolia where he strolled through the park as it rained. It was freezing cold but he did not the cold because the emptiness in his mind was far worse.

Lyon, his former co-apprentice had run off and had left him behind. Deep down, the black-haired boy was ashamed of his mistake that had caused Ur's death but he wondered why Lyon had left him. It seemed to be the start of a game and he wondered where the sense in such a game was if there was no one left to win. Perhaps it was the only thing Lyon could still do as he was just as unhappy about Ur's death as the younger boy but it was over even though Lyon did not seem to accept this but he had had the chance to surpass Ur and it had not been enough. The black-haired boy wished that he could take his decision back it was over and just like Lyon, he had to accept that nothing would bring Ur back.

By now, he was used to this loneliness. He hated the feeling though because he missed the people he had lost. He sighed deeply as he walked through the rain. He had no umbrella but on his right side, a blue-haired girl had a bright pink umbrella.

* * *

"Um … you … could I please come under your umbrella for a moment?" a black-haired boy asked as he looked at the blue-haired girl with a shy smile.

"S-sure," she replied slightly confused for was not used to such politeness. "Why are you out in the rain without an umbrella anyway? You will get sick!"

"Don't worry," he grinned. "I never get sick."

"Oh … Juvia apologises."

"Juvia? That's a really nice name, Juvia-chan. My name is Gray. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Gray-kun," she said as she blushed at the kindness. "But you aren't from around here, are you? You sound different from the other people…"

"Yeah … that's right … I am from the North but my teacher … left and so I am searching for a guild to join. I'm an Ice Mage, by the way."

"That's really cool," she smiled. "I'm a mage as well."

"Thanks," he replied. "You are probably a water mage, right? That's why the rain doesn't bother you at all, I guess. Water Magic is pretty awesome as well."

"T-thanks," she stuttered. "You are very kind to Juvia."

"I was taught to be polite," he grinned. "Where do you live?"

"In an orphanage," she muttered quietly. "That's not so good."

"Why don't you join a guild?" he asked. "You're a mage after all and you could grow in a guild … and my teacher always said that you can find friends there…"

"No one wants to be Juvia's friend … because Juvia makes the rain," she whispered, expecting him to get up and leave her in the dust like everyone else. "And Juvia cannot control it. Wherever she is, it rains cats and dogs."

But the boy did not get up from the bench they were sitting on. "You know … magic is often controlled by emotions," he said slowly. "And when you are sad, this causes the rain … but what would happen if you were happy, Juvia-chan?"

She froze. "Juvia is never happy," she stated.

"Really?" he asked. "Why not?"

"The other children … look down on Juvia and they are mean to her … they don't understand."

"So, we're both outcasts then?" he sighed as he stared into the rain that seemed to weaken. "I … I tend to lose my clothes sometimes … because we trained in little clothing in the cold, I guess."

"And I never saw the sky," she whispered.

"That's really sad … and worse than losing clothes … because the sky is so beautiful … and blue – just like your hair," he said. "Still, the kids at the orphanage make you sad, right? So you should leave. Come with me, alright? We will find a guild for us … a guild where everyone is different … where no one judges us for being different."

"Do you think that there is such a guild?" she asked as she frowned slightly. "Do you really think that there is a guild that accepts that I am different like that?"

"I am pretty sure that there has to be a guild that accepts mages like you and me," he shrugged. "And if they don't want you, I won't join either and they will never have an awesome Ice Mage like me … and they would bitterly regret not accepting you."

"You are kinda crazy, Gray-kun," she sighed.

"I know," he grinned as he jumped up. "But look, the rain is stopping! If the clouds disappear, you can see the sky! C'mon, we climb on top of that hill so we can see it even better."

"B-but there are already people," she said shyly. "And they surely don't want to be disturbed."

"Ah, who cares?" he asked. "That's a public park and they can't say anything against us, Juvia-chan. And if they are mean to you, I will freeze them!"

"You are really crazy," she sighed as she closed her umbrella because it only drizzled and he dragged her to the hill from where they watched the stars.


	3. Where Pride and modesty meet MiFri

**3****rd****: Where pride and modesty meet…**

* * *

Bitter tears fell from blue eyes as Mirajane Strauss, S-class mage of Fairy Tail and Erza Scarlet's only true rival, cried for her sister Lisanna who had died on a mission as their brother had lost the control over his takeover. Mirajane's broken arm had healed but her heart was still shattered and she wondered if it would ever recover because she had had cared deeply for her little sister and the knowledge that Lisanna would never return pained her more than anything else.

"…I heard you retired," Erza said quietly as she bit her lower lip. "I … I think understand you … Mira. If you need help, you will know where to find me, yes?"

"Why are you so nice to me?" Mira asked as she wrapped the black scarf around her shoulders. "I was terrible to you when you joined the guild. You can pity Lisanna and Elfman … but not me."

"We belong to the same guild … and I guess that everyone in this guild carries guilt or another negative emotion in their hearts," the red-haired S-class mage stated softly. "And … well, I said what I wanted to say. Everything else will be your decision."

"Thanks, Scarlet," the former demon said quietly as she walked away. "But I cannot accept it."

She looked into the mirror over the sink and shook her head as she couldn't recognise herself anymore. She had grown too obsessed with magical power and fights … too obsessed to recognise herself without this anymore because her sense of wrong and right had left her somewhere along the way. She had been told that it would be lonely at the top and she hadn't believed it because she had thought that she would always have her siblings but now, she had lost her little sister and her little brother stared into the glass in front of him as he ignored Evergreen – Evergreen? This meant that even the Thundergod Tribe had returned as well. Mira didn't care as she leaned against the cold wall and cried. She tried to stop but it was impossible as the pain inside her heart ripped her apart once more. She left the restroom and stepped outside, trying to breath freely again – without remembering her sister. But she couldn't so she fell to her knees and tried to wipe away the tears she had cried. A part of her wanted to go to bed and to believe that when she awoke in the morning, Lisanna would be alive again and everything would be like it used to but the other part realised that the life she had led so far was pointless and worthless after her sister's death.

At the same time, she realised that she couldn't do this because this would mean to ignore Lisanna's sacrifice and this wouldn't be right either.

"Mirajane-san." The male voice was smooth and polite – and belonged to Fried Justine, the self-proclaimed leader of the Thundergod Tribe. "I … I am sorry about your loss."

"You didn't even know her," she snapped at him. "You saw her once or twice."

"True," he said, "but I can still understand your mourning … and I respect your wish to move on without our help. Still, don't let her memory die, Mirajane-san. That would kill the others."

"I didn't … plan to let her die completely, Fried-san. I was only wishing for a moment on my own because I want to be alone right now. Elfman … he isn't supposed to see how I fall apart."

"Your sadness, Mirajane-san, it won't last forever," the green-haired man said quietly as he shook his head. "And you shouldn't have cut your hair."

"How can you say that it won't last forever?" she asked tiredly. "And my hair had to be cut. It was completely ruined because I let it grow too long without controlling it – just like my power."

"Well, in this world, nothing is constant. This means that everything will be over once."

"You are right … even if it breaks my heart, it will be over once – or at least it will be easier to deal with it. I forgot that I have been through this once before…" she whispered. "It is just so hard to realise that we will never be the **three** takeover siblings again."

"But still, it's not like everything is over," he said as he carefully patted her shoulder. "Until the moment, you give up on everything, it's not over completely. Sure, Lisanna-san won't return unless a miracle that involves lots of black magic happens but … the world will keep turning, hard as it sounds. And you will smile genuinely again, Mirajane-san."

"Thank you, Fried-san," she said calmly. "That really helped."

"I gladly helped," he replied with a small bow.

"I … I owe you," she said. "When you stray, I will be there."


	4. Reunion LeoAries

**4****th****: Reunion**

* * *

He remembered and he hated to remember. To remember meant to feel the pain all over again … the pain of being ripped away from his home and his family … being ripped away from **her**. He sat in the library of the guild and tried to breathe properly but with the celestial spirit mage running around, he was hardly able to act his normal, playboy act. For a split moment he wondered if the Trimen of Blue Pegasus ever had similar problems before he forced himself to think of something else because Trimen meant Hibiki and Hibiki meant Karen's lover and Karen's lover meant Karen and Karen meant nothing but depressed thoughts for **hours**.

It was pathetic in a way. He was Leo. He was the leader of the twelve spirits – the king's most trusted lieutenant. And now, he was bound by the same rules he had enforced upon others for centuries. He sighed deeply as he tried to think of something else – or better yet: of someone else. He thought of Aries because to think of her made him remember that he hadn't messed up everything and that there were a few people who might be actually grateful for his revolt against the green-haired witch who had been his master once.

Aries … shy, kind Aries … he sighed deeply as he thought of soft brown eyes and bubblegum pink hair with small brown horns … she had been too kind for her own good, he and Scorpio had always said this. The three zodiac spirits associated to the element fire had been close a long time ago before they had chosen different masters to fight for. The lion gritted his teeth as he remembered how Aries and he had chosen the same master and how they had stayed together for centuries in the Human World.

It had been a promise between them that they would never walk different paths. He had sworn at his honour that he would never allow anyone to hurt her and she had cried tears of happiness as she had realised that he had just promised her to stay by her side forever.

* * *

She didn't want to fight him as they met again after three long and painful years in the Human World and a few days in the Realm of the Spirits. On the one side, he looked happier than he had ever looked under Karen's harsh reign but on the other side, they were friends and she didn't want to fight the only true friend she had ever had.

Still, orders were orders and she knew that none of her attack would hurt them because he was Leo, the leader of the Twelve Spirits of the Zodiac. Leo never got hurt when Aries, fluffy and kind Aries, attacked him – even if she went at him with her full strength because they were enemies now and she remembered just too well what Angel had done to Scorpio after he had been defeated by Corona Australis, a stellar spirit swordswoman, who had wiped the floor with him. True, the scorpion hadn't been at his best because Corona was an old friend but still. A stellar spirit had a pride and an honour to defend. She sighed as she formed another Wool Bomb but she remembered what the king had said, more than a century of human time ago: _"Even if you owe your enemy, a former comrade, a great debt, for your master's sake, you must defeat them … that is … your pride as stellar spirits."_

At least wool attacks didn't hurt, she mused before she watched in terror how Angel (oh, the name barely covered up the vile personality of that woman) summoned Caelum. The Ram knew what this meant and she knew that Angel didn't care about her spirits at all – so she knew what would happen to her in a few seconds. She looked at Leo as she heard the zooming sound and just as the chisel's attack pierced her, their hands brushed for a second.

She remembered just as well as her old comrade. She remembered how Leo had looked before Karen had happened to them and just as they vanished, she mused how great Leo's master had to be because even though Karen's darkness still shadowed the glowing light of Regulus, he seemed to be less … depressed and unhappy now. She was happy about this because there was no one who had done as much for Aries as Leo had done in the past and she wanted to thank him for all his sacrifices … because she loved him.

* * *

Leo slowly opened his eyes after he had been hit by Caelum. The attack had been overwhelming and it had shattered his defences like they had never existed in first place. He looked around, searching for Aries and he saw her on the other side of the place, dusting off and straightening her clothes before she sighed deeply. He wondered why fate had been so cruel to her. From Karen to Angel, her masters had been cruel women, he decided.

He got up and caught up with her as they headed for the inner town of the spirit realm where they paused for a moment to star at the stars above them. Once again, their hands brushed and this time, he grabbed her hand and held it for a moment. He wasn't sure how he had stood being away from her for so long but he knew that he couldn't let go now. He couldn't leave her alone – and if it meant to steal her key from whoever would be her master after Angel's defeat – hopefully, Lucy wouldn't lose to the spineless bitch who had caused both of them so much pain.

There were no words necessary between them because they had been friends for centuries and all the old problems seemed to be dead and gone at the moment. For a moment, Leo closed his eyes and wrapped his arm around the pink-haired spirit's waist. He didn't want to see anything right now. He just wanted to memorise the feeling of being … complete again for a moment and he wanted to tell himself that she would be alright again because as long as she was in the realm, no one could hurt her and her old wounds would heal here.

He didn't want to know anything about the future – even if it was burning right in front of him. He didn't want to think about the ongoing fight between their respective masters. He wanted to savour the first moment of true happiness he had felt in a long time – fearing that it might be the last in an equally long time. He sighed softly because he didn't want to lose her again. He loved her, had loved her for a ridiculous long time and to let her go again would probably do what three years in the Human World hadn't done: it would kill him.

He followed her gaze as she looked at the stars and suddenly, he realised that nothing would ever come between them – because in the end, they were stars … eternal, beautiful and **_together_**.

* * *

AN1: I will update the next time once I reach 7 reviews for this story.

AN2: Which pairing should I do next? Choose one of the following:

**MiraFried**  
**LeoAries**  
**Laxana**  
**Gruvia**  
**NaLu**  
**BiscaAlzack**  
**ElfGreen**  
**LyonUltear**  
**Jerza**  
**RogueYukino**  
**GaVy**  
**AquaScorpio**

**RoWen**


	5. Storm RoWen

**5****th****: Storm**

* * *

**Summary**: _To dance in the storm was funnier if it was with the right person, Wendy decided._

* * *

_Gift!fic for _**HeirToTheShadows**. _Thank you for writing_ **Love Songs** _for me. It really saved my day and therefore my week … after having two situations which might have end far worse for me, it made my Friday and I usually measure my week by my Friday and so yes, you saved my week._

* * *

It was funny how Wendy acted when a storm was coming closer. She usually got exited and walked around in the guild hall, always staring at one of the windows because this was where the storm would appear soon enough. Pantherlily usually went into hiding when Wendy went into the Storm-mode as Gajeel called it while Laxus grinned widely and wrapped his arm a little closer around Cana and Elfman would search for Lily to tell him that _'as a man, he should scare the storm instead of being afraid of it'_ while Evergreen would roll her eyes at her boyfriend's antics before she would drag him back to their bench. Juvia was excited a swell even though she could hide it behind her usual stalking of a certain ice mage. Natsu and Lucy said close to the fire as they talked with Erza who had just returned from a long S-class job (even though Romeo suspected that her sudden wish to go to the eastern regions of Fiore might be connected with the fact that Jellal and the other members of his independent guild were supposedly there). Gildarts and Mira were planning the next S-class exam with Fried's help. The dark écriture master had passed the first one after the Tenrou-fiasco along with Cana and so he was allowed to be involved in the planning of the next exam. Romeo was pretty sure that Natsu would finally pass the exam after Juvia had wiped the floor with him the last time and Gray had beaten both Lucy and Elfman which had made them another duo to join the ranks of the S-class mages. Fairy Tail had quite a few S-class mages since Makarov had promoted Gajeel after the iron dragon slayer had successfully beaten the ridiculous dark guild Sabertooth's master Minerva had hired to stir up trouble for Fairy Tail. Seeing that Gajeel had beaten three S-class mages and Minerva herself, Makarov hadn't had much of a choice but to promote the gruff man. (Rumour had it, however, that Gajeel hadn't taken Minerva's challenge until she had made the mistake of insulting Levy.)

Romeo watched the young sky dragon slayer as she paced around in front of the windows, impatiently waiting for the storm to begin. Sometimes, Laxus would show the same antics but the lightening dragon slayer sat in the back of the room, one arm wrapped around Cana as he talked with his grandfather. Levy found Lily somewhere under a table and picked him up before she sat back down with Gajeel again and continued their conversation while she comforted the exceed.

"Wendy-chan, it will start soon," Mira smiled at the younger member of the guild. "If you want to, you can go outside now … but don't forget your coat, alright?"

"Thanks, Mira-san!" Wendy grinned as she grabbed her coat from a bench. "I see you later."

Romeo slipped away from his father who was discussing something with Wakaba and followed the blue-haired girl. He wouldn't admit it but he had developed quite a crush on her since the age difference was nearly gone. He found her on the lawn in front of the guild building where she stared at the dark clouds as she waited for the thunderstorm to begin.

"Hey, Wendy-chan," he said as he looked at his feet. "Mind if I stay?"

"You can stay," she smiled as she looked over her shoulder. "Just be careful that you don't catch a cold because I am not sure if I can heal this, Romeo-kun."

"Thanks, Wendy-chan," he grinned sheepishly as he stared at the black sky. "That's really impressive if you ask me…"

"Today's thunderstorm will be especially strong," she agreed. "Charle told me."

"What are you doing out here anyway? I gathered that dragon slayers can't get a cold but…"

"First: at least iron dragon slayers can catch colds or did you forget how terribly Gajeel looked after the mission a month ago when he and Levy-san got into a rainstorm and he lent her his coat? And secondly … it sounds strange but I dance in the rain … because that's what Grandine and I used to do when it rained and stormed like today."

"But today, there's no music in the guild…"

"Even if I can't hear the music and even if there isn't an audience, I will dance here on my own," she said. "I think that the sound of the rain will be a wonderful melody."

"You know … I can dance," he said with a moment of hesitation. "I could dance with you…"

She looked at him with wide eyes. "That would be kind of you, Romeo-kun," she stated softly.

"Alright then," he said as he held out a hand. "So … may I have this dance, Wendy-hime?"

"Of course, Sir Conbolt," she chuckled as she accepted his hand with a bright smile. "I didn't know that you dance, Romeo-kun. I knew from Elfman that he's quite a master of tango because Evergreen bragged with the competition they won last month but I didn't know that you…"

"Well, according to Cana-nee, it's expected from a young gentleman to know how to dance," he shrugged. "And seeing that Cana is usually right about things like this, I took a few lessons and like you said: Elfman is quite the dancer even though he would probably say that it's not manly."

"Well, he probably learned to dance to prevent Evergreen from getting mad at him," she smiled as the first raindrops fell onto her hair. "C'mon, we shouldn't talk about them now."

He nodded in agreement as he remembered his dance lessons and carefully placed his hand on her waist. "Um … I hope that you're not uncomfortable," he said as he bit his lip. Many men of the guild had taught him that he had to be a perfect gentleman when he wanted to have a girlfriend. (He still wondered how Gajeel got Levy to be his girlfriend but the iron dragon slayer was perhaps kinder when she was the only one around.)

"It … it's fine for me," she said and nearly stuttered because she really, really liked Romeo and so it was hard for her to speak properly with him because she always blushed and stuttered when he was around. It was aggravating and Evergreen's blunt advice _'Grab the guy and kiss him'_ to figure out if the flame mage liked her as well seemed a little bit too daring to Wendy.

"Alright, then," Romeo grinned as he twirled her around as lightening bolts illuminated the strangely spooky scene every few seconds. "But why did you and Grandine do this all the time?"

"This is about accepting the flow of nature and going with this flow," she explained. "To go with the flow of nature means going with the flow of magic … it makes you stronger if you accept nature as what it is: one of the biggest powers known to humankind – and to the dragons as well."

"So Lily doesn't go with the flow?"

She laughed. "He goes with the flow as well," she replied. "Just because you are scared of thunder doesn't mean that you are ignoring the flow of nature. Juvia is really in harmony with nature because she doesn't only use water, she truly **is** water. That makes her so strong."

"I don't get it but it sounds reasonable," Romeo grinned as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Wendy had been dancing under thunderstorms for as long as she could remember but she couldn't remember when she had felt this comfortable while doing it. Of course, it relaxed her greatly and helped her to remember her dragon a little bit better than usually. But today, she felt like not only her body but also her soul was dancing. Maybe there was a difference between dancing alone and dancing with someone who you really, really liked.

"Grandine could explain it far better than I can," she shrugged as she smiled at her partner.

"I would like to meet her one day," he said as he stared at the ground where puddles started to appear. "I mean … I know her counterpart and I would like to know her as well."

"I will take you to her once we figure out where the dragons are hiding," Wendy promised.

"Really?" he asked. "That will be awesome!"

"Well, she always said that she would like to meet my friends later on…"

"I would like to meet her, you know?"

"Like I said: you can go with me when I go to meet her after I figured out where she is hiding," the blue-haired girl grinned.

"Like a friend or like a boyfriend?" he asked before his brain could stop his mouth.

"Like a boyfriend, if you want to," she replied.

"I would love to."

* * *

**For those who read the newest manga chapter ... do you think that Fairy Tail is cheating?**

And next up:

**6****th****:** **Star crossed**, AquaScorpio

**Summary**: _They had been meant to be and if necessary, she would fight the king to be with the man she loved. They were in love and – screw the rules – they __**would**__ be together._


	6. Star crossed AquaScorpio

**6****th****:** **Star crossed**, AquaScorpio

* * *

**Summary**: _They had been meant to be and if necessary, she would fight the king to be with the man she loved. They were in love and – screw the rules – they would be together._

* * *

**Dedication**: _For_ **bee98** _who voted for a AquaScorpio (Scorius?) one shot._

* * *

Aquarius the water bearer was no one to mess with. She was a celestial spirit with an attitude and since she was extremely strong, she could afford being bitchy every once in a while. Usually, she made rude comments on female mages who summoned her – especially when she believed them to be less attractive than herself – but right now, she was extremely angry and she took it out on the person who had brought this over her.

"Excuse me?" she hissed, glaring up at the celestial spirit king because he was the bastard who stood between her and her happiness and she just couldn't allow this. "You are telling me that I can't date Scorpio anymore? Does this have a reason?"

The king glared at her. "First of all: not in such a voice, young lady … and secondly, yes, this has a reason, Aquarius," he said darkly. "According to some of your fellow spirits, you are terribly moody lately and they fear that you might abandon your mage to go on dates with Scorpio."

"Layla-sama?" the mermaid shook her head. "I would never abandon Layla-sama! She is kind and she never used me like the master I had before her. To serve Layla-sama … it's the greatest honour a spirit can have in my eyes."

"Leo still said that your performance was slightly lacking since you started to date Scorpio…"

"He is just jealous that Scorpio and I have a relationship while he constantly fails to ask Aries out on a date!" the female spirit snapped. "Leo is so jealous that it nearly hurts me to think that he is _supposed_ to be the leader of the Zodiac spirits and your favourite lieutenant!"

"Aquarius, you are using the wrong voice again," the king scolded. "Calm down, will you?"

"I am not even fucking mad yet, your highness!" she snapped. "Honestly, I consider this as an insult, your highness. I have been serving my owner with utter devotion so far – even until I started to go out with Scorpio, I didn't fail my master or my duty. I don't know where Leo's problem lies – it's probably because Aries turned him down or something like that. Anyway, why do you have to be so hard on me, your highness?"

"Aquarius, your issues with Leo do not interest me at all. You have been serving Layla-sama with greatest devotion so far, I admit this, but there are rules: celestial spirits of the same system are not supposed to date each other … and while I have been ignoring this so far, there were complaints about you and Scorpio. The Southern Crown even said that 'the damned zodiacs are favoured and can ignore the rules that go for everyone else' and I have to admit that she is right."

"Corona Australis wants to get me in trouble, king. She is probably jealous or something…"

"No, she isn't jealous, she is right there. I have told her that she cannot date Corona Borealis and she is therefore pretty aggravated that you were allowed to date Scorpio until now," the king said calmly. "Along with Leo's complaint, this made two reasons against you two dating."

"King," Scorpio interrupted calmly as he raised his head. "The rule that celestial spirits aren't allowed to date is foolish and indicates that we are just as old as the stars we come from. It means that we act old-fashioned. Aqua and I do not mean any disrespect-"

"Oh well, **I do**," she snapped.

"No, you don't. You are just upset and you don't know what you are saying," he said before he looked at the king again who was surprised at the fire spirits strangely calm and serious attitude. "As celestial spirits, we are as good as immortal and as you might know, eternity soon means loneliness. The Zodiac spirits are a close-knit group under Leo's lead. We are probably the most-summoned celestial spirits. I would have to ask crux to be sure of this but I am pretty sure that I am right. And because we are summoned this often, we see most of the human world … and we see a world were love is everywhere. We see a world were love surpasses boundaries and where love isn't bound by rules … we see things we want for ourselves." He looked down and bit his lip. "And especially combat spirits like Aqua, like Leo or the two Crowns … they see these things far too often to ignore their own feelings. And so I ask you to erase this rule, your highness. This rule has been leading to rivalry and hatred among us because some of us are allowed to date while others aren't. Those differences split us apart where we should be one."

Leo and Aries, the both other fire spirits, stood at the side and while they seemed to focus onto the ground to their feet, Scorpio felt their support and he knew why Leo supported him: because it was the lion's case as well.

"It's ridiculous if you ask me," Capricorn said as silence reigned. "Humans … they get stronger when they are in love. Like Aquarius-san, I am serving Layla-sama and since she fell in love, she has far more magical power than before … which means that she can call us for a longer time. And we aren't that different from humans, are we? Many of us have been formed after a human being after all and we are more like them than we would ever admit willingly."

"Capricorn-nii is right there," Virgo who stood next to the goat said. "We shouldn't punish others for there feelings. We should support them and lend them a hand when they seem to stray."

The king looked over the celestial spirits until he found the both Crowns, Corona Australis and Corona Borealis, who flanked the door as they held their swords with seemingly emotionless faces. "Borealis and Australis," he said darkly. "You were the ones who complained … because you were feeling like I am putting the celestial spirits of the Zodiac over the normal spirits. Yet you are both surprisingly silent during this whole meeting…"

The female Crown looked up. "We will accept whatever you in your wisdom will decide," she said smoothly as she brushed back a strand of her pink hair. "We are servants of you, your highness, and of our owner. Therefore we will accept your decision in all aspects."

"Corona and I prefer to watch," Borealis agreed with his partner constellation. "Whatever you decide will be alright with us, your highness. We will accept it – just like Corona said."

The other celestial spirits nodded quietly, waiting for the king to make a decision. The dating-issue had been troubling most of them at one point or another but until now, no celestial spirit had dared to speak up against the king. Well, trust Aquarius to do the unthinkable. As long as the water bearer believed that she and Scorpio had been meant to be, she would do everything to get the chance to be with him. And if there were any rules which spoke against their relationship, tough luck, she would fight everyone between her and her happiness. It didn't matter if it was the king or a normal celestial spirit. She wouldn't stop at anything – and this was known to everyone who waited for the decision.

"I see," the king said slowly as he looked at the twelve zodiac spirits. "Aquarius, you will have to face punishment for questioning my authority."

She looked down as she nodded slowly. "Of course, your highness," she whispered.

"…but I won't be the one who keeps you all apart," he went on and she looked up. "This has to be terrible … to love but to be forced to keep those feelings inside … everyone can date now. I trust you all not to ignore your duties because of this … and if anyone lets his master down because of a date, I will be very angry with whoever does something like this … and I will send Leo to deal with the problem. Am I understood?"

"Of course, your highness," the Southern Crown said with a sharp nod before the corners of her mouth curled upwards as she looked at her partner. "Borealis, let's go on a date later on, yes?"

Aquarius twirled around to the pink-haired woman and glared at her. "What the hell are you playing, Corona Australis?" she hissed. "First you complain about me and then you are the first to ask another one out! Are you fucking crazy, woman?"

"Oh, I wasn't even the first," the swordswoman said calmly. "The first was Cancer who asked Libra out … and you know that I couldn't let you have a boyfriend before I get one. See you later, Aquarius. Try to frown less, will you? You are getting wrinkles."

"I am killing her…" Aquarius swore. "I am fucking killing that bitch…"

* * *

**Next up: 7****th****:** **Keys and Gates**, NaLu

**Summary**: _Sometimes, a dragon slayer had the key the stellar spirit mage needed._


	7. Keys and Gates, NaLu

**7****th****:** **Keys and Gates**

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**Summary**: _Sometimes, a dragon slayer had the key the stellar spirit mage needed._

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**AN**:_ This drabble is dedicated to no one specific so I dedicate it to all my readers. Furthermore I want to warn you. This was the last romantic orientated one-shot/drabble for the next seven chapters. We will continue with the genre friendship/general for seven chapters. I hope that you all enjoyed reading this collection so far and please, leave a review._

* * *

Her mother had taught her that there were many keys. There were keys that opened doors to the Realm of Celestial Spirits. Those were used to summon stellar spirits for various reasons. There were keys that unlocked hearts had that been locked away for one reason or another. There were keys that locked away the sadness of a soul when a person started to move on after a tragic event. Those were metaphoric keys, no real ones. Other metaphoric keys were the ones that allowed another person to enter one's personal world. This key was called _love_. The key _friendship_ connected two or more people in happy and sad hours of life, helping them to carry on even when their pain seemed to drag them down. Those two keys, love and friendship, brought happiness back to formerly sad and depressed people but since they were only metaphoric, they didn't help her – at all.

She has closed the door to her heart the moment her mother had died and two shiny, golden keys had been put into her small hands. She had been barely able to hold them properly back then. She hadn't let anyone in because she had loved and trusted before – her mother – and Layla had died and left her alone. This had shattered Lucy's heart and she had sworn that it would never happen again. So while she had learned to open the doors to another dimension, she had locked the door to herself more and more with every passing day before she had thrown away this key. It seemed to be ironic because she collected other keys.

To close her heart for good had seemed to be a smart idea back then.

But then, he had come into his life and he had changed her mind about closed hearts. He had walls around his heart as well but the more time they spend together, the more those walls trembled and fell down, leaving him exposed and vulnerable but so much stronger than before.

She had started to change her mind about closing off the heart to avoid being hurt again and she started to question why, oh why she had thrown away the key she needed so desperately right now. By now, she believed, this little key was impossible to be found again but the more time passed, the more her heart opened up again and she realised while she had lost the key, he had found it and he had proven her wrong, again. And so he held out his hand again (just like he had when he had first asked her to join Fairy Tail) and she took the hand that held – albeit invisible – the key to her heart that he had found somewhere along the way they had walked together.

It was strange and first, she took a step back from him because she wasn't sure if this was the right thing. He had suffered a loss too and she wasn't sure if Lisanna's death hadn't influenced him more than he would ever admit. (Not that he had ever admitted that the death of his childhood friend had done anything to him. It probably didn't go well with his I-am-an-awesome-dragon-slayer-image.)

But so she was wondering if it would be right for him to unlock her heart because if he would hurt her heart, she wasn't sure if she would recover. But then she decided that the key to her heart also happened to be the key to an end of sadness, loneliness and pain – for both of them. She wouldn't treat this relationship like a game. She would take it seriously and have the same kind of sappy romance Mirajane had with Fried. This key would mark the beginning of happiness found in love – and trust.

In the end, the key to her heart was the key to a promise. It was the key to the promise that everything would end just right.


	8. Sweet Dreams Ur, Lyon, Gray

**8****th****: Sweet Dreams**

* * *

**Summary**: _They weren't her children but she loved them just the same._

* * *

She lay awake as her pupils already slept. The moment was bittersweet to her because no matter how dearly she loved Lyon and Gray, she would always remember her daughter, her tear, the proof that she had lived.

One day, she hoped, their story would be told. She believed firmly that both Gray and Lyon would make it, that they could do what she hadn't been able to do … that they would leave the village and join a guild. She hoped for them to find a guild where they would meet friends and maybe even love. Guilds were wonderful places after all and she sometimes regretted that she hadn't joined a guild when she had been younger.

One day, when their story would be told, Lyon and Gray would be among the lucky mages who could pride themselves for being maker mages. Ur knew just too well that many of her former comrades had left the path, they had retired and they hadn't taught pupils.

She knew that they would regret their decision once it would be too late but this was life. Life meant a constant flow, things were lost and things were gained, and while she had cursed this flow many times – especially after Ultear's death – she had learned to accept it because she couldn't change it anyway and it was smarter to carry on even when it hurt than to mourn and stop living altogether.

Once in a lifetime, every human being had to face loss and she prayed that her pupils wouldn't have to face it for a very long time because she didn't want to see them sad again. She loved them because they had both taken the chance to change their lives when the opportunity had appeared in front of them. To make a chance was important for mages. Ur had once known a mage who had been always on a job. He had been an S-class mage from Fairy Tail and they had recognised each other as people who were driven by an invisible force. She didn't want her pupils to end up like this but she would accept it if it would be their choice.

Change was important, especially for mages who created. They needed to understand the concept of change in order to form many different things quickly after each other. At the same time, they had to be stable because if they wouldn't be stable, they might get carried away and this might end pretty ugly. Magic had to float through the mage's body like a steady yet unfaltering river and she hoped that they understood what she was trying to teach them.

Maybe it was the pride of a teacher but she could imagine how she tell the other mages of her generation that she had been the first to see Gray and Lyon, that she had been the first to know that they had been cut out to be something wonderful and strong … that she had been the first to see two diamonds in the rough and that she had polished them so that they shone bright enough to rival the stars on the nightly sky above them all.

She believed in them. She believed in their strength and their will to pull through when it would be rough. And she believed, no, hoped that they wouldn't make her mistakes and that they would find true love. She might not be their mother but she loved them all the same and just like a mother would hope for her sons to find a decent woman, she hoped for the same … and she sighed because she knew just too well that her boys would be probably denser than everyone else.

Sometimes, she was worried for Lyon. He wanted the power to defeat everyone while Gray only wanted to beat Deliora. Lyon was talented, there was no doubt, but his ambition might be the death of him one day because he had the power but the goal he used it for was a wrong one. Lyon was brilliant, she had to admit this much, but it wouldn't get him anything because he lacked a true goal. She predicted that Gray would be able to wipe the floor with his fellow student in a few years and while she wasn't happy about the fact that her students would fight each other seriously she had to deal with the facts and she was quite good at things like this.

Ur had never been driven by the wish to be famous. She didn't want to be recognised as a skilled mage and she sure as hell didn't want people asking for her autograph. She only wanted to make the best out of what she had and this life was enough for her. She had lost her daughter but she had her pupils who made her so proud that she nearly burst – which would be a pretty pathetic end for someone like her but maybe, she would be able to fix herself with ice magic like minor injuries she received during their sparring.

She blew out the candle and closed her eyes. "Sweet dreams and goodnight, boys," she whispered softly as she slowly drifted asleep.

* * *

**Up next: **

**9****th****: Star gazing  
Summary**: _It had been too long since she had been able to watch them but they were still perfect – but her siblings were just as perfect and far closer._


	9. Star gazing, Lisanna

**9****th****: Star gazing**

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**Summary**: _It had been too long since she had been able to watch them but they were still perfect – but her siblings were just as perfect and far closer._

* * *

**AN:**_ This is Lisanna-centric. Unlike others, I don't portray her as a jealous woman who hates Lucy and wants her to be thrown out of Fairy Tail – if she doesn't try to kill her off. I strongly dislike the cliché that after Lisanna's return everyone ignores Lucy and she is thrown out of the guild or she leaves. Let's face it: this Lisanna is so OOC that OOC isn't even the right term. This Lisanna is basically an OC with Lisanna's name, her looks, background and magic.  
While I ship NaLu, I don't hate Lisanna because let's face it: she is a really sweet person._

* * *

The stars on the nightly sky above Magnolia looked like thousand golden coins shattered over a deep blue blanket made of velvet. The young girl under those stars stared up at the sky as she wondered how far away they actually were. She had always loved the stars and when she had been younger, she had often watched the stars with her sister. It had been the only sister-bounding-thing they had ever tried because even Mira-nee had always loved the stars – even though she had never admitted it to prevent sounding weak.

She had been watching the stars every night when she had been in Edolas and back then, the stars had been just as far away as her siblings. Now, the distance to her siblings was shorter again and she was happy about this development.

And still she had gone out at night alone, without anyone to go with her because this was private. In the distance, she heard the laughing and singing from the guild and she smiled as she searched for constellations. To be home meant that she felt better than she had in Edolas. Being home meant that she hadn't to hide her magic and that she hadn't to hide who she was and who she wasn't. In Earthland, she could speak openly. She could share her sorrows with others and it was easier to breathe for her.

In the east, she was Orion's bright stars and she smiled as she remembered how she had watched this specific constellation with Mira-nee from their window in their parents' house many years ago, before they had joined Fairy Tail, before their parents had died. Orion had been a part of her childhood and she smiled as she remembered so many peaceful moments with her siblings. And even though so many years had passed, she remembered every single moment. Years had come and gone but the stars had stayed. They were too far away to change, she mused, before she heard soft footsteps and the rustling of a dress as her sister approached. Mira-nee had changed and Lisanna wasn't sure if she liked this. But then again, everything had changed and only the stars were still shining just like they always used to, unimpressed by the small problems of humankind.

"Elfman was worried for you," Mira said softly as she sat down in the grass.

"I am alright," Lisanna said as she wrapped her arms around her legs. "But what about you?"

"I am fine as well," Mira replied as she tilted back her head. "It has been a while that we sat here, hasn't it? And yet, the stars never change. Maybe it's because they are too far away to care."

"Or maybe because we are such small existences compared to them," the younger woman shrugged. "I can imagine that a star is bored by our daily problems."

"Originally, I wanted to ask you why you went away from the party. Natsu wanted you to meet Lucy…" Mira sighed as she leaned back to rest her back against the ground. "I know that you already met her but he wanted to do it 'properly' and 'like a man' to quote Elfman."

"She seemed nice," Lisanna said as she followed her sister's example. "Still, I need to make sure that my childhood friend has a decent girlfriend, right? And while I am at it, I should ask you how you and Fried are doing…"

"Go and bother Elfman about Evergreen, will you?" Mira sighed. "And we are doing just fine."

It was a warm summer night and neither of the sisters froze despite their clothes even though it was nearly midnight. Above them, stars gleamed and those which were even further away shone softly. It was a beautiful sight and once more, Lisanna compared her sister to one of those stars. She was just as beautiful as any star and when she smiled, she outshone the whole sky.

"That's good to hear," the younger sister grinned as she wondered if she could be like her sister. But the answer was just too obvious. No, she couldn't because Mira-nee had matured after the trauma of losing her sister. Lisanna lacked this experience because she had known that – though far away – her siblings were still alive and well.

"And what about you, Lisanna? Does Elfman have to beat up a guy soon?" Mira giggled.

"No," the short-haired girl shook her head. "I am just happy to be single … and I am happy that I am home again, Mira-nee. Although I liked Edolas, I prefer Earthland quite a bit."

"And did you have a boyfriend there?" her sister asked.

"No because all the interesting guys were already taken or it would have seemed strange. I mean … I am so used to weak and boring Jet that I couldn't have dated him – not that he showed interest. He was hopelessly in love with Edolas-Levy."

Mira sighed deeply. "But I need to get you a boyfriend," she said. "We need to do all those sister-bounding-things, you know? Talking about guys, going shopping … all that stuff."

"You are crazy, Mira-nee."

"That's what years of never leaving the guildhall do to you after two years," the older sister sighed. "Hey, I can see Orion, Lisanna!"


	10. Matchmaking, Mira

**10****th****: Matchmaking**

* * *

**Summary**: _She couldn't fix her own life but she wanted to fix other people's lives._

* * *

Mira washed glasses as she talked with Gray. "…seriously, you should search for a girlfriend, Gray," she said as she handed him another drink. "You would have someone to spend time with."

"I have friends, Mira," he said. "I don't need a girlfriend. I am happy without one, honestly."

She shook her head as she sighed. "I am just saying that you should go out with someone," she said as she raised her hands in a defensive gesture. "Look at it from my point: Fairy Tail mages – especially those with S-class potential – take dangerous jobs … jobs where you might die. That's not only the risk during an S-class job. The risk is always there," she went on. "And it would be a shame if you would waste your time by not dating a nice woman … like Juvia-san."

The ice mage looked over to the water mage who was talking to Cana. "You think so?" he asked.

"Yes," she said as she patted his shoulder. "She really, really likes you and she proved that she wouldn't betray your trust. And water and ice magic compliment each other…"

"And you really think that she would say yes?" Gray asked as he bit his lower lip. "She is nice once you get used to the third person self-reference all the time…"

For a moment, Mira wondered how dense Gray had to be not to notice that Juvia was very much interested in him before she remembered that Cana had once mentioned that Gray tended to focus so much on one goal that everything else became a distraction and he had learned to ignore anything distracting. (Cana used this as an explication for Gray's stripping habit as well.) "Go over there and talk with her," the white-haired barmaid said as she patted his shoulder.

"Thanks, Mira," he said before he slowly walked over and started a conversation with the water mage while Cana strolled over to Bisca who was talking with Evergreen.

Mira hid her smile behind her hair as she continued her work. Everyday in the guild was similar to the ones before – at least to her. She would wake up in the earlier morning after another night filled with nightmares. She would leave her warm and cosy bed to brush her hair before she would drink coffee to get rid of the headache. She would wake up Elfman who always overslept (perhaps he considered it as extremely manly or something like that) and would make breakfast for the … two of them. Sometimes, she wished that it had been her who had died on that damned S-class job two years ago because she missed Lisanna. It had been Lisanna who had brought light and laughter. Mira had only brought darkness and despair to everyone.

Elfman always told her that she should move on and 'be a man' but she couldn't. She was stuck in this post-Lisanna's-death-depression and nothing she did helped her to get out of this. And so she smiled a broken smile and helped other people. When Levy needed help with something, it was Mira who helped her or who organised someone to help the short solid script mage. If Cana had had a 'completely terrible date', it was Mira who patted her shoulder and reminded her that there were still far better and more deserving men out there in Fiore. As Evergreen had been in need of fashion advice after the failed attempt to take over the guild because she had wanted to find out who she really was inside, Mira was the one to go shopping with her – well, Bisca had joined them because she had had needed a new hat but this didn't count.

Mira had become the helper of everyone in the guild and she loved helping other people even if it meant that she didn't help herself. She wasn't going on jobs anymore but she took care of all the little problems her nakama had. She borrowed money when someone couldn't afford lunch after being tricked by a client. She fixed ripped of clothes. (Never Lucy's though because their state usually was a hopeless one.) She calmed down arguments between teammates and helped in cases of lovesickness. (Alzack had been in need of lots of advice lately because the pistol mage feared that Bisca might leave their team to make one with Evergreen since both women were getting along quite well lately.) She helped Levy when she was mad at her teammates.

Erza had once said that Mira was too busy with helping other people to help herself and this was right – partially at least. The truth was that Mira couldn't save herself. She could only save others because even a former S-class mage like the once-feared Mirajane Strauss who had the strongest demon soul in her arsenal of takeovers couldn't fix her own life. She was more like Cana than she would like to admit. Both the takeover and the card mage had troubles which were etched deep into their souls and both simply couldn't let go of their issues. Mira didn't know which secret Cana kept inside her heart. She just knew that it was this secret that caused the excessive drinking – and not some one-sided love to Macao Conbolt. (Mira even suspected that the heightened amount of alcohol Cana had consumed after Fantasia was to blame on Laxus' betrayal because the white-haired woman hadn't forgotten that the lightening mage and the card mage had been friends once and it would be like Cana to drink to forgot about this betrayal.)

But even if she had tried to fix her life, she had failed and so she could only fix other people's lives. She smiled once more as she looked at Gajeel with a smile. "What can I do for you?" she asked as she poured in sake into a cup.

"The stripper … he is talking to Juvia," the iron dragon slayer stated darkly. "Do you know why?"

"Well, I believe that he wanted to ask her out," she smiled. "Oh well, talking of asking other people out … when are you going to ask out Levy-chan? You have been showing interest for quite a while after all … and Jet and Droy need to get over her…"


	11. Butterfly, Ultear

**11****th****: Butterfly**

* * *

**Summary**: _Sometimes, she imagined what it would be like to float through the air … free of worries, free of pain … simply free and maybe even happy._

* * *

The scar on her back burned and the bandages itched but Ultear ignored these thoughts. A scar like this was nothing unusual for a mage who fought close combat as she did but to know that she had nearly been killed by a mage who didn't even use an interesting kind of magic was slightly insulting and she could still hear Jellal's biting comment as she closed her eyes for a moment after staring into the distance for a few hours.

Pain was nothing new to her and she knew that she should be used to it but even removing her Grimoire Heart mark by force since it hadn't vanished the way it had been supposed to hadn't hurt this badly. She shook her head as she wrapped her arms around her legs and ignored the agonising pain that ran through her body for half a second after she had moved.

Sometimes, she searched for words to apologise to all the people whose lives she had ruined – most of the time, she couldn't come up with more than 'I am sorry' and this did hardly cover what she had done in her illusion that she could improve the world by destroying it first. Her guilt often kept her from sleeping and when she couldn't sleep, to explain her actions to herself and she couldn't even convince herself that she had had reasons, once, before Gray Fullbuster hadn't only defeated her but also shown her the truth. Her whole life had been based on lies, lies she had been told and lies she had told herself to calm her conscience.

She turned her head to look at Jellal and Meredy who were resting under a tree, half asleep and exhausted after their training in the morning. They were so forgiving and kind, perhaps the best people in the whole world even though society wouldn't agree with her opinion because both of them were supposed to be ruthless and cruel. Society couldn't be less right. Ultear remembered. She remembered Jellal standing up for Fairy Tail before their prominent members had been erased and she remembered Meredy helping the blue-haired water mage who had possessed a heart bigger than Fiore, admirable ideals and the strength to back it up.

She truly admired Juvia Loxar and Gray Fullbuster because unlike her, they really believed into what they fought for. Maybe this was the reason why Fairy Tail had been the strongest guild. They had believed into themselves and until the ugly black dragon had appeared, their method had been extremely successful and Ultear would have loved to cooperate with them or at least a few of their members because compared to them, she was truly evil. To work with Fairy Tail mages might have been helpful as she had searched for a path in her messy life.

She had been selfish and cruel. She had ruined other people's lives without a second thought because she had believed that this was the prince she had to pay for her goals. She had been a fool but it had taken too long for her to realise this.

Now, she fought against people she used to support and against her own darkness.

She had accepted her guilt and she had sworn herself that she wouldn't rest until she had atoned for her countless sins but sometimes, she felt like she was carrying the weight of the whole world on her shoulders and she wished for a moment of peace, a moment without fear a being caught. She was to blame that Zeref had awoken and even if it meant her death, she wouldn't allow the black mage to destroy more than he had already ruined.

She breathed deeply as she counted slowly from ten down to one as she tilted back her head and stared at the blue sky above her. She wondered what it would be like to be free from gravity, what it would feel like to float through air like there were no sadness or sorrow in this world. She wished that she had wings and that she could fly away from all the pain and that she could say goodbye to everyone who had known her before and to start a completely new life.

She wanted to reach her goal without any more losses because she wasn't sure if she could really take the pain of losing a beloved person again. She was impatient even though she had worked on her patience when she had been one of the ten wizard saints and she couldn't wait forever for something to happen. She needed someone to help her out of her misery because she was no butterfly that could fly away once it got too bothersome.

Sometimes, she remembered her mother and she hated how she had messed up the only chance to be with Ur again fate had given her. She had been there, she could have stepped out of the forest and she could have been with her mother again but now, all she could do was to say goodbye to a memory and to try to move on from her childhood.

Still, all she truly wanted to do was to float away and to be free of everything … and to be happy, truly happy for the first time of her life.


	12. Tower, Cana and Juvia

**12****th****: Tower**

* * *

**Summary**: _She was no princess who was locked up in a tower, waiting for a prince to free her. She was just a mage, trying to figure out her place in the world … but all she had figured out so far was that she didn't have to be a princess to be locked up. Still, friendship sets her free. [Loosely connected to 1__st__: Thunder, Laxana]_

* * *

**AN**: _I loved the idea that Cana and Juvia might be friends after Fantasia and I am a little bit sad that Mashima-sensei didn't use this idea for the manga. This one-shot takes place during and shortly after Laxus' failed attempt to take over the guild and uses the idea of a Cana-Juvia-friendship because I just reread the Laxus/Fantasia-arc and nearly cried when Laxus was thrown out of the guild because now, everyone knows how awesome he actually is…._

* * *

When Juvia had been a little girl, she had dreamed of being a princess, locked up in a tower, waiting for a prince to come and save her. A dragon wasn't necessary because the rain that was always with her would guard her just as good. But the older she had gotten the more she had realised that she was no princess and that it was good like this because she didn't have to wait for a prince. She could go out and search the prince by herself because she was strong enough to fight any dragons or other opponents that might hinder her quest to find true love and acceptance – and Juvia didn't want to be hindered by anything anymore.

After Phantom Lord had been beaten by Fairy Tail and been disbanded by the council, she had joined the guild of her former enemies and she had met a woman who was truly a princess up in a tower. This woman was Cana Alberona. Cana-san was a skilled card mage and one of the most popular members of Fairy Tail but Juvia could see when someone was hiding something because she had been hiding her feelings about many things for a long time as well.

Cana seemed to be self-confident and Juvia liked the blunt woman – even if Cana was a close childhood friend of Gray, she didn't qualify as a love rival. But sometimes, when Cana was alone and stared at the glass in her hand, her face was strangely blank and her eyes seemed to be completely empty – as if there was no life in her.

Juvia and Cana became friends and after they were freed from Evergreen's petrifying gaze, they set out together to beat the Thundergod Tribe. They could have been successful if they hadn't been trapped in a rune enchantment written by Fried Justine. The rule in this enchantment was easy: whoever would be standing after a fight would be the 'lucky one' to fight Fried afterwards. Back in Phantom Lord, Juvia would have attacked without a second of hesitation but this wasn't Phantom Lord anymore. This was Fairy Tail. And this wasn't another Phantom Lord Mage. This was Cana, Juvia's **friend** – and Juvia wouldn't attack a friend.

And when the only option was self-sacrificing, well, Juvia did it because she believed in Cana and because she wanted to prove that she fitted in with Fairy Tail, that she truly belonged. The pain upon reaching the lightening lacrima was worse than anything Juvia had encountered before. Usually, her water body protected her from physical injuries and therefore the pain but water and lightening wasn't a good combination and so she fell down, defeated.

* * *

"…I lost…"

Juvia heard the voice upon awaking from her unconsciousness and slowly opened her eyes. "Cana?" she asked hoarsely as she turned her head to see the injured card mage. "What…"

"He said that he would fight me like a man … pah, wrote dumb rune enchantments that caused instant injuries as soon as I used magic…" the brunette said as she punched the mattress and sat up. "Anyway, Mira took care of him … I still can't believe it…"

"You should have won against him, Alberona," a familiar voice said. The last time they had heard this voice, it had been marked with rage and arrogance. This time, Laxus Dreyar sounded calm and serious – nearly unsure what to say or to do as he stood in the doorway. "I was excommunicated but you probably already knew that … Cana. I am … I am sorry."

"What do you mean – I _should_ have won?" she snapped at him as she turned her gaze at him.

"Two things weren't right today," he said. "You shouldn't have been in town and you shouldn't have lost to Fried. I … I apologise for your injuries and once Juvia-san awakes, please, tell her that I am sorry for her injuries as well … and that I will take her wrath once our paths cross in the future. Oh, and tell Natsu that he shouldn't get ahead of himself just because he won. Gajeel is stronger than him … took a blow that would have killed Flamebrain without batting an eye."

"Perhaps it's because I just got defeated but I don't get what you mean, Dreyar," she hissed.

"You are not dumb, Cana," he sighed. "But if I have to spell it out for you … you weren't meant to get hurt, understood? Everyone … I wouldn't have cared … but _you_? I send Fried to you because I was sure that you would defeat him. You are stronger than him. I guess you just lost because your emotions were in turmoil. Feel free to send the bills for the doctors to me. You know where to find me after all."

"I know," she said. "But what happened to 'I don't need them in my Fairy Tail'?"

"I was drunk … drunk with power … but you know that I don't simply need you, Cana. I depend on you … and I guess that a part of me didn't want to accept that," he said. "Anyway, that's for you and I hope that you make a fast recovery, Cana Alberona. And do me a favour and pass the S-class exam, will you? It's getting ridiculous that you never pass."

She closed her fingers around the card. "And you really think that I will forgive that easily?"

"I don't want you to forgive me, Cana," he said. "What I did was wrong and well, congratulation for taking out three of the lacrimas. That was … to be expected from a guild veteran like you but still an impressive feat."

She sighed deeply. "I took out **four** – just for the record, Laxus," she corrected. "I used on ice card and maybe that made it seem like it was Gray," she shrugged. "Anyway, Laxus, try to figure out what you really want, will you? That today … that wasn't the Laxus I've known for such a long time … and I don't like this new Laxus at all."

"I will try to find the Laxus I used to be back then again, Cana," he said and left.

"If you want to cry now, Cana, Juvia would swear on her deathbed that you didn't," the water mage said as she got up to sat down next to her. "Juvia will stay silent about this."

"Thanks, Juvia," the card mage said as she wiped away a stray tear. "Yes, I am crying … because you are a really good friend to me today … and I am sorry for disappointing you. If I had won against Fried, your sacrifice wouldn't have been in vain … so I did nothing today…"

"You did something today, Cana. You did a lot for Juvia. Juvia feels really welcome in this guild now – thanks to you, Cana," the blue-haired woman said. "But Laxus … he used to be your friend, I gather … you have to forgive him one day. What did he give you, anyway?"

"You call Gajeel a drama queen but believe me, Laxus is worse than your Gajeel-kun," the card mage said as she held up a card. "That's a Call Laxus Card – if I am in trouble, I could call him to my help … we have been talking about such a card many years ago…"

"It's nice of him that he remembered, Juvia thinks," the water mage said as she patted the shoulder. "And Juvia thinks that you fought well. Fried-san is a strong and therefore hard opponent. You shouldn't beat yourself up about losing to him. Juvia is happy that Cana recovers this fast."

"Thanks, Juvia," the brown-haired woman said with a smile. "Well, if you ask me, we should get ready for the parade. It's always the highlight of a year here in Fairy Tail – along with the S-class exams. Everyone is waiting for those events to happen."

"Laxus said something about you and the S-class earlier…" the water mage said.

"I have been chosen in four years and I never passed," Cana said. "I … I kinda need to pass though and well, he knows why and so it was his way to tell me that he believes in me … fool."

"Juvia thinks that you deserve being in the S-class, Cana," the water mage said. "Juvia saw you leading the other mages of Fairy Tail into the battle against Phantom Lord. You are a good leader and Juvia thinks that you would be an amazing S-class mage – not as good as Gray-sama, of course, but still … you belong there, Cana."

Cana was no princess, Juvia knew this but out of all the women in Fairy Tail, the card mage was the closest to the Princess-in-a-tower-cliché. Cana was a formidable mage and Juvia knew that one day, Cana would be in the S-class and she hoped for her friend that this would send the walls that kept her imprisoned tumbling down.

"Thank you, Juvia," the other mage said as she grabbed her jacket from a chair. "I really, really thank you because you just encouraged me. And should I ever get the chance, I will beat Fried – only for you because we are friends. Mark my words, will you?"

And so they left the medical ward and as Juvia walked next to the brunette mage – just like they had done before Fried had attacked them – she believed that she nearly heard the walls inside of Cana falling down because now, two people believed into her and that made her stronger, happier and finally set her free.

* * *

_Even if I can't see you … no matter how far away you may be … I will always be watching you._


	13. Loneliness, Ultear, Evergreen, Bixslow

**13****th****: Loneliness**

* * *

**Summary**: _To be abandoned by your parents was one thing. Being lonely for as long as you could remember was an entirely different thing – and they knew this feeling just too well._

* * *

Bixslow hadn't always been Bixslow. In the first years of his life, he had been Eugene. Eugene had been loved by his parents until the fateful day on which his eyes started to do strange things – things that scared his parents and thus, they put them into an orphanage and he never saw them again.

Even in the orphanage, he was the outcast. He was forced to cover his eyes – always and under every circumstance – and he hadn't a single friend. To him, it seemed like he had just found his personal hell. His hell consisted of loneliness and the knowledge that he would never have a single friend because no one would look past his terrifying eyes.

He hated his life because no one understood that he didn't mean for those things to happen and that he hadn't any influence on this.

When he was ten, he left the orphanage to search for a guild where he wouldn't be avoided because of his eyes. He was sick of being lonely. He wanted to be acknowledged and he wanted to be seen as someone special and not as the freak show. He was a young child and being treated like trash hurt him deeply even though he wouldn't admit it later on. His childhood was a dark and lonely one. And so it wasn't surprising for anyone who had noticed him back then that he had joined Fairy Tail out of all guilds. But it was fitting, in a way. Fairy Tail had more members with sad pasts than all the other guilds combined – and they accepted even those who had been former enemies.

* * *

When Evergreen had been born, her parents had been happy and they had loved her. They had been proud of their daughter and they already planned out her amazing future. Her parents were rich people and so they imagined how their beautiful daughter would marry either an equally if not richer man or maybe even a prince. The young Evergreen was dressed into the most comfortable and beautiful clothes and everyone in the mansion were she grew up adored her.

That was until that day when she was six years old and got mad at one of the children who were supposed to be her friends. Before she knew what she was doing, it had happened: she had petrified the boy who had tugged on her long braids – and she couldn't undo it because at such a young age, magic often worked outside the regular ways.

Her parents and everyone else had to realise that Evergreen was a mage – even though there was no other mage in her family – and from one to another, her whole life changed. She was forced to wear glasses to prevent that she petrified someone again but this was the only thing her parents did to make her life easier.

She had to realise everything on her own while her parents started to ignore her. She realised that her parents didn't approve of mages, calling them criminals and worthless. Sometimes, she had to control herself not to unleash her stone gaze at them. She wasn't put into an orphanage but she knew that her parents didn't love her anymore because she was different and her parents didn't like people who were different. The constant silence around her annoyed her and the books she was studying magic in didn't help her that much either … but she read of guilds … and after her parents had all but abandoned her, she desired to be acknowledged for her unique abilities – and if a guild was the only place where this was possible, well, she would leave.

And she did leave. She sneaked out of the mansion and once she had brought enough distance between her and her parents, she cut off her long braids and enjoyed the feeling of complete and perfect freedom.

* * *

For Ultear Milkovich, the abandonment was painful because the experiments the scientists made with her were agonising and to hear that her mother had abandoned her was painful. Her past was a lie and her future didn't exist and she just wanted to go home to her mother and have a bright future with the powerful ice mage. But her fate wasn't to be with her mother as she learned soon. And so hope died right after it had been found and left her with an empty and hollow world.

She had believed. She had believed that her mother would come and take her home … that her mother would protect her from all those evil people but Ur didn't come and soon, the young Ultear found herself on the path to becoming a dark mage.

This was a way she didn't mean to walk at first but after a few words of Master Hades, she truly believed that if she would go into the Great World of Magic, she would be able to complete the Arc of Time and she would see her mother again.

She searched for answers in herself but she found nothing because none of her answers was sufficient in her eyes. And so she lost herself more and more in her loneliness and her hate towards her mother who had left her alone with those creepy guys who had hurt her so much. She passed nameless graves, graves she had helped to fill with her anger with her desperate wish to complete the Arc of Time one day.

Sometimes when she was sitting in Grimoire Hearts airship and watched Meredy sleep, she wondered if the pink-haired girl might be the only kind of light she still saw because no matter what she said or how she acted, she did care for the girl she had adopted and she had sworn that she wouldn't abandon her like her mother had abandoned her.

But all in all, there was nothing but emptiness in her and she wanted to do something useful. Capturing Zeref wouldn't be enough to go into the Great World of Magic, she knew that, but it would be a start and for the first time, the years she wasted with toying around with Jellal Fernandes and the council wouldn't be in vain anymore.

But then again, she wondered why the emptiness inside of her didn't fade away.


	14. Lonely December, Thundergod Tribe

**14****th****: Lonely December**

* * *

**Summary**: _For three people who used to be so close, it was agonising to be separated –and to know that it was their own fault made it even worse. [Hints of: MiFri, BixLi, Elfgreen, GaVy, Laxana, Gruvia, Jerza, LyonUltear and MeredyEve/Everedy(?)]_

* * *

**AN**:_ Imagine, the Thundergod Tribe would argue and __**disband**__ afterwards. I had a hard time even to find a reason why they should argue so the reasons are weak – which is because they seem to fit together just so well. Anyway, they had to argue so I chose reasons that are the typical pretexts people use when they argue out of frustration – and I can imagine that the three proud members of the TGT are easily frustrated if something doesn't go as planned._

* * *

Fried had been the one to snap which had surprised everyone in the guild even though no one could say how it had happened. The Thundergod Tribe had been sitting on a table at the wall where they had been talking when Fried had suddenly exploded.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" he had yelled. "EVERGREEN, STOP THIS FAIRY NONSENSE! YOU ARE NO FAIRY AND YOU WILL NEVER BE A FAIRY! AND BIXSLOW, YOUR TONGUE IS DISGUSTING!"

With these words, the green-haired man had left the guildhall, leaving everyone else is a state of complete and utter confusion before Evergreen had glared at Bixslow. "He is right, your tongue is disgusting but still … his magic is the magic of a **coward**! I know that you can still hear me, Fried! You are a **coward**!"

Bixslow had risen to his full height and he had stared her down. "Your fairy-nonsense is really annoying, Evergreen," he had said. "But you are right about Fried's magic."

After this short moment, they had stormed out of the guild as well and slowly, everyone had recovered from the shock that the Thundergod Tribe had just had an argument in front of everyone – and a pretty loud one at that because their yelling had been louder than the ongoing fight (Gray against Elfman) in the same room.

* * *

"F-Fried-san?" Levy stared down at the green-haired man who had been sleeping on the floor of the library. "What are you doing here?"

"I fell asleep when I went through a few books," he said.

"I didn't mean that," she said. "I mean: why aren't you with Evergreen and Bixslow?"

"I do not wish to talk with people who can never stand the slightest bit of critic," he replied as he dusted of his clothes. "Their lack of respect for my magic is just one of many points that made me renounce my membership in the Thundergod Tribe."

"You guys actually disbanded after your argument?" she asked in shock.

"Yes," he nodded. "And since I am currently searching for a new partner to go on missions with, I wanted to ask you if you would like to form a team of script experts since your own teammates are currently recovering from their injuries."

"This would be great," she smiled. "I just saw the greatest mission for script mages on the request board. C'mon, let's get it before someone else can take it!"

She dragged him out of the library over to the request board before she smiled at Mira. "We are taking that one, alright?" she beamed.

"Why not?" the S-class mage nodded as she read the request. "Come home safe – oh, and Levy? Gajeel and Pantherlily are in the same town … maybe you will meet them there."

"Noted," the blue-haired mage said as she skipped out of the guild into a winter morning.

* * *

Evergreen who had been standing on the second floor where she had been watching the guild from narrowed her eyes behind her glasses before she turned to look at Elfman. "I do not appreciate Fried going on missions with Levy," she huffed. "That means that he isn't bothered by the disbandment of our old team – not that I am bothered, of course…"

"We could go on a mission as well," he shrugged. "That would be the manly thing to do."

"I will ignore this man-reference for once," she scoffed as she frowned at the board with the S-class jobs. "I want a job with a good pay because I've to pay rent soon."

"And I need money for the weekend," he said. "What do you think about dinner in that fancy new restaurant? I heard you talking with nee-chan about it this morning…"

"I never thought that I would say this but … you are a cute one if you want to – and it makes you look very manly," she grinned as she closed her eyes when he embraced her. For a moment, she tried to ignore the pain the argument with her teammates caused her because she was not the one to blame. Her fairy-nonsense as they had called it hasn't half as annoying as Bixslow's creepy tongue and she used Fairy Mage which was far more offensive than Fried's rune enchantments. She was sick of being unappreciated and so she wouldn't join her teammates again until they would beg for her forgivenness.

"Let's go, alright?" he smiled and together, they walked down the stairs and left the guild to go on a mission that included the escort of a client from Magnolia to Era. The mission would be boring but the pay would be good and so they had chosen it.

* * *

Bixslow sat on a bench and stared at his drink with a solemn expression that was hidden behind this visor of his hood. His babies, however, betrayed his unhappy and slightly depressed mood as they flew in slow circles above his head, quiet for once. If his lack of tongue-expose hadn't already indicated it, this was the real warning sign.

Lisanna who had just returned from a mission with Lucy – one that hadn't ended with torn-up clothes of the celestial spirit mage – frowned slightly as she stopped at the counter where her older sister was cleaning glasses. "What happened here?" she asked. "Where is the rest of the Thundergod Tribe and why is Bixslow this depressed?"

"There is no Thundergod Tribe anymore," the man said darkly as he raised his head a little bit. "We … we disbanded."

"Disbanded! Disbanded!" echoed the babies but instead of their usual annoying cheerfulness, they sounded sad and tired. "No Thundergod Tribe!"

"They argued two days ago when you were on the mission with Lucy," Mira said with a sigh. "And yesterday morning, they all renounced their membership. That means that there is truly no Thundergod Tribe right now. Fried went on a mission with Levy earlier and Evergreen dragged Elfman on another one."

"No … Thundergod Tribe…" Lucy's eyes widened.

"We all have problems to understand this," the white-haired barmaid shrugged.

"It was Fried's fault anyway," Bixslow said. "He snapped first – not Ever or me."

"What does Laxus say about this argument?" Lucy asked as she ignored the mage.

"Well, he is still on a mission with Gildarts. Once they are back, we will know more. I know that Cana wrote them both a letter but this could have been the 'if you argue about the wedding again I will fairy glitter the hell out of you both and I won't care that you are my father and my fiancé respectively'-warning," the demon soul takeover-mage said. "I guess that we will have to wait until they are back again."

"It was the 'if you are arguing about baby names I kill you both'-warning," Cana corrected as she set down her bottle. "Not that I am pregnant but the last time I left them alone for three minutes, they were nearly killing each other because dad wants a little Clivia while Laxus wants to call a future daughter after my mom."

"And what do you want to call your daughter?" Lisanna asked. "I mean – you're an S-class mage as well and you would be the mother so it should be your decision too…"

"I want to call a boy after Laxus' grandfather so I stay out of the argument about the name of a daughter," she replied. "Anyway, Bixslow, you shouldn't mope around and drink away all my alcohol. Grab yourself a partner and go on a mission or two, alright?"

"I could go with you," Lisanna said with a shrug. "We worked well together during the Grand Magic Games after all, didn't we?"

* * *

"…I said Clivia!"

"That sounds just like your last name!"

"That's the point, sparky!"

Cana growled as she heard the argument and got up from the chair she had been sitting on with crossed arms and a dangerous facial expression to glare at her father and her fiancé. "I believe that I said a thing or two about arguing about this topic again," she hissed at them.

"It's Laxus' fault – he started it!" Gildarts said as he saw the enraged face of his daughter. A part of him wanted to say that she looked just like her mother when Cornelia had been mad at him – and she had been mad at him quite often when he had accidentally crashed something – but he decided that this wouldn't help his case right now.

"You were the one who started it all over again," the blond man defended himself.

"I do not care the slightest about who started this argument again. We have bigger problems right now but I swear – if you ever argue like this again, there will be hell to pay," the brunette said as she sat back down. "Alright, what do you notice right now?"

"The atmosphere is slightly gloomy," Gildarts said in an attempt to appease her.

"Quite a few people are missing," Laxus shrugged. "Did something happen to someone?"

"The Thundergod Tribe disbanded," Mira said as she shook her head. "They argued about some nonsense and two days later, Fried took off with Levy and Evergreen dragged Elfman to a mission before Cana and I send Lisanna and Bixslow on another mission."

"That has to be a bad joke," the lightening dragon slayer muttered. "They never argued…"

"Well, they did **now**," Mira said. "And all of us have no idea how to deal with it. We send Erza to talk with Fried because he didn't even want to talk with me and I am his **wife** but she came back with more ruined armours than ever before."

"That sounds in fact a little bit bad," Gildarts said as he looked at Erza who sat on the bench without any armour which was a rare sight. "On the other hand, I didn't know that Fried is a match for Erza before! The guy should be suggested for the S-class exam again."

"That's not funny, dad," Cana snapped. "And after Erza came back like that, we send Natsu to Evergreen and well, he is still petrified."

"I knew that I should have checked the mental stability of them before I accepted them as my bodyguards," Laxus muttered as he shook his head. "Well, look on the bright side: Natsu cannot challenge anyone for a fight right now. That means less expensive mending here in the guildhall. This at least is an advantage of this situation."

"As much as I appreciate your attempt to ease the tension, we have a serious problem in front of us," Erza said as she walked up to them. "We need them to stop their behaviour. It makes all of us wary because we fear an explosion…"

"I think that this is the first time ever we see you without an armour," Gildarts said. "I guess that Fried is a little bit stronger than most of us originally gave him credit for."

"That's not the point here," Lucy said. "We need a plan to get the Thundergod Tribe to reunite. Mira already kinda promised that she would speak with Fried but there is no way that Evergreen would listen to Elfman who would probably rather stay out of this anyway."

"And we have no one to influence Bixslow either," Mira sighed.

"Let them be, alright?" Laxus said with a sigh. "They are old enough to make their own decisions."

* * *

And so, the other members of Fairy Tail watched with worry how the formerly so close mages sneered and glared at each other whenever their paths crossed. It was difficult for Mira and Elfman to stay out of this because both of them were dating a member of the disbanded team and Lisanna had been spending much time with Bixslow lately.

"Midwinter is coming closer," Lisanna grinned as she closed the buttons of her coat. "I am going shopping for everyone. You can join me if you want to…"

"Judging from the grin on your face, you will go all tigress-soul-takeover on me should I say no…" the man sighed as he grabbed his own coat. "Alright, let's head out."

* * *

"What are you doing there, Ever?" Bisca asked as she found the other mage slouched on a bench in the guild. "You are messing up your make-up, you know that, right?"

"Bixslow is going shopping with Lisanna, Bis," the brunette muttered darkly.

"Usually you went shopping with him for Midwinter, huh?" the gunner asked as she patted her shoulder. "I know that you have been saying that you will never talk with any of them again but … you know that you will have to talk with them sooner or later because they will be on your wedding. Fried is your fiancé's brother-in-law after all…"

"I could always get Elfman to elope with me…"

"…and you would be murdered by Mira afterwards, right? You need to face the facts: you will have to reunite with them one day because behind the scenes are currently many mages working on a plan to get you to work together again," the green-haired woman shrugged. "But I am sure that you will do the mature thing, Evergreen."

"Thanks for the pep talk, Bis, you are a good friend."

"No big deal."

* * *

The Midwinter Celebration of Fairy Tail was an event, outshining even Master Bob's birthday parties which took place three times each year because Blue Pegasus' Master was eccentric like this. This year with all the prominent Fairy Tail mages not only in town but also uninjured, Magnolia was in for one hell of a party. Two days before the date, the first guests arrived. The Trimens of Blue Pegasus had been invited (much to Natsu's dismay) and along with Lamia Scale's mages, Crime Sorciere arrived (much to Juvia's and Erza's joy).

Sherry waddled through the guildhall on Ren's arm for she was eight months pregnant while Chelia and Wendy stood by the fireplace, admiring each other's dresses while Wendy's boyfriend Romeo was slightly bored but tried to uphold his smile as Mrs Cana Alberona-Dreyar patted his shoulder. Meredy and Juvia sat on a bench, talking about each other's year and the blue-haired mage giggled as she spotted a certain Snow Mage staring at the pink-haired woman with pure admiration for once. Juvia nudged Meredy and the Crime Sorciere mage giggled before she strolled over to the blond boy. Lyon and Gray were talking to Ultear and to Gray it seemed like his fellow pupil seemed to be truly interested in their teacher's daughter and left them alone to dance with Juvia.

Suddenly, the mood shifted as the three members of the disbanded Thundergod Tribe met in the middle of the room and everyone who had heard of their argument took a step back.

"So," Fried said, on hand on his sword. "Does anyone have something to say to me?"

Bisca who stood closer to them than most people glared at Evergreen, begging her friend without a word to say something to end this pointless fight inside the guild because she couldn't take it anymore since the whole issue was making Asuka uncomfortable.

"Yeah," Bixslow said as he crossed his arms. "I talked with Lisanna-chan and well, I noticed something. We never argued before, right? And when we did, we acted like kids. I for my part refuse to act this immature any longer. I am back in the Thundergod Tribe and well, I don't want to be the only member to be honest."

"Lisanna-chan?" Mira asked with a raised eyebrow as she looked at her younger sister who blushed. "I see, I see…"

"That's around the same what I was going to say," Evergreen said. "And I am sorry for calling you a coward, Fried. I was just so frustrated that I didn't pay attention to my words."

"Likewise, Ever," the green-haired man said. "I believe all of us said things we didn't mean."

"I told you so," Laxus said smugly as he wrapped one arm around his wife. "And by the way, Gildarts, the first daughter will be named Cornelia."

"I've had it," his father-in-law said before he punched him to send him flying – along with Cana.

"Dad…" his daughter growled once she was back on her feet. "That means war, you know that…"

And just like usually, the Midwinter Party ended with in a huge fight – a fight in which the Thundergod Tribe fought together … like usually.


	15. …grows love, MiFri

**15****th****: …grows love**

* * *

**Summary**: _After Fantasia, many things were seen clearer and a love that had been merely a bud two years ago grew into a beautiful flower. [Connected to 3__rd__: Where pride and modesty meet…, MiFri and 12__th__: Tower, Cana & Juvia]_

* * *

**AN**: _Lots of personal head cannon ahead – yay!_

_Don't sue me for making Levy and Fried distantly related. I always liked the idea of Levy and Fried working together and Gajeel getting jealous and now I took it one step further and decided that their families are related and that Fried is kinda protective about his cousin of … eighth degree._

* * *

Fantasia was finally over and Mirajane Strauss found herself once more on the graveyard where she visited her sister's grave. What had happened two days ago had left traces on a face that often seemed to be ageless. The sight of the defeated Cana and the danger of losing her brother as well had pushed her back into her demon soul takeover. She hated herself for this weakness but she was impressed that she had been able to control herself. Before Lisanna's death, she would have crushed Fried under her fist like a cockroach and somehow, she was happy that she hadn't done this because to kill a nakama was a crime she didn't want to commit. Still, the memory of Cana spitting out blood was etched into her memory as she stared at the grave in front of her.

Cana was a guild veteran, one of the most capable mages, outshining many of the older mages like Macao or Wakaba. To see her like this had scared Mira deep inside because she knew that usually, Cana should have won against Fried. She had been participated in the S-class exam four times so far while Fried was still waiting for his chance to reach the S-class. Even Erza had voiced her shock about Cana's defeat by Fried's hands because this didn't mirror their real abilities.

Mira believed, however, that Cana had snapped after seeing Juvia's sacrifice. No matter how much of a leader the card mage was, she was always utterly devastated by the sight of a fallen comrade – each Fairy Tail member was like this and Juvia was Cana's friend – maybe the best fried the brunette had right now … and Mira remembered just too well how much Lisanna's blood had shocked her – and back then, she hadn't been as compassionate as Cana was.

"Mirajane-san," a calm voice said. "I … I came to thank you."

She turned her head and frowned at Fried. "For not crushing you?" she asked.

"For leading me back to the right path," he replied. "You kept the promise you gave me two years ago and I wanted to thank you for this … because … well, I would have understood if you had killed me. What I did to Cana-san and what I indirectly did to Juvia-san … I was wrong and they were right. Fairy Tail is just as strong as it is right now because every single mage gives his or her best to strengthen the guild. That's the Fairy Tail Makarov-san has in mind and this is the right Fairy Tail."

"You don't have to thank me. I am a woman of my word … but did you apologise to Cana and Juvia?"

"I heard from Ever that they have locked themselves up in Juvia's room up at Fairy Hills with tons of vanilla ice cream and sad love movies. She said that it sounded like one of them is nursing a major heartache … and well, I didn't want to disturb their girls-only-time," the green-haired mage sighed. "There will be a time and a place for an apology … but that's not now."

"I wonder why one of them would be heartbroken," Mira said as she walked away from the grave. "Juvia still has this major crush on Gray and Cana hasn't had a crush in **centuries**." She stopped and frowned slightly as she stared at the sky. "One question: do you know if Laxus apologised to Cana?"

"He said nothing about it … but probably. I mean … he basically ordered me to kill them both."

The white-haired woman chuckled softly. "My, my, isn't he a drama queen? They were best friends, once … and it surprised me that he went through with it after he saw her there … maybe he believed Evergreen to be impossible to defeat … because she would have been save then…" she muttered. "Ah well, I will have to beat the answers out of him when I see him the next time."

"You take the whole issue very relaxed, Mirajane-san," he said.

"Call me Mira, please," she said as she patted his shoulder. "You and I, we used to be friends as well … and to lose friends makes live sad and less enjoyable. Cana isn't the only one who lost someone dear during this stupid fight. I lost a friend as well but unlike her, I can reclaim him now."

"You are very forgiving, seeing that we fought just yesterday," he said. "And especially since I nearly killed your brother and two of your friends … I am not sure if I deserve your forgiveness."

"Cana said probably something similar to Laxus if they talked before he left," the demon grinned impishly. "The person I fought wasn't the person I have known before. This was a strangely twisted and completely crazy situation … and I believe that we have to move on from this." She took his hand. "You have seen me at my worst after Lisanna died. I saw you at your worst as well, so I consider us as even. You helped me then and I help you now. It's only fair, right?"

He looked down. "There was something I wanted to tell you back then but I chickened out," he said to his shoes. "I am probably the most silent member of my team … but that makes me very observant. What I wanted to tell you was that I actually like the way you smile and laugh … because if you laugh, everything laughs … your eyes, yes, especially your eyes. I like your eyes."

"And … you wanted to say this even though I was probably the worst bully ever back then?"

"A bully wouldn't have been that protectively about her siblings," he said as they made their way back to the guild. "Um, how is Cana recovering? I saw her at the parade but…"

"According to Juvia, she is doing fine," Mira shrugged. "Cana is a tough one, a guild veteran."

"I witnessed her endurance in the fight against her," Fried nodded. "That was impressive. I saw taller and broader men collapsing after half of this."

"She comes from a family of mages, you see? Both her parents were mages and I believe that she once mentioned that her mother was a prominent mage of Mermaid's Heel," Mira stated. "Anyway, it's nice that you came to thank me personally. I guess that the Thundergod Tribe will leave soon again. You guys never stayed long in Magnolia after all…"

"All of us have to make amends for injuring so many nakama," he shrugged. "And since Ever is having a hard time to figure out how she is supposed to apologise to your brother, well, it might take a few weeks until we leave town again. Why are you asking?"

"Well, quite a few new restaurants opened up since the last time you were here…" she said.

"…and so you suggest that we should check them out together?" he asked.

"As long as it wouldn't bother you, Fried…" she said with a smirk.

"As a matter of fact, it wouldn't bother me at all to go out with you, Mira," he replied. "There are many things I would like to ask you and a nice dinner might be just the right location…"

"So it would be just too practical to pass up the opportunity," she nodded. "And it would you get out of Gajeel's range. He is probably just waiting to give you hell for using a kind of magic that is pretty similar to Levy's … I think that he might have a crush on her," she whispered.

"Levy McGarden? The same innocent Levy McGarden I used to work with every once in a while before the Thundergod Tribe took all my time?" the green-haired man asked. "And that man has a crush on her? Poor little bookworm … but seriously, if he ever hurts her, he will face the darkest side of Dark Écriture … a darker side than anyone else ever faced…"

"Don't tell me that you are actually that protective about her," Mira giggled.

"You should have studied families with lots of mages a little bit more serious, Mira," he sighed. "The Justine- and the McGarden-family are those who use script magic as their main one. Sure, there are a few transformation experts as well but script magic is what we do best … and I think that Levy's mother is a distant cousin of my father … making me and Levy related on a very distant way."

"So I don't have to fear any concurrence from her side, correct?" she asked as she raised one eyebrow. "Because I would seriously hate to go all Satan Soul takeover on her, you know?"

"Jealousy doesn't fit someone as gorgeous as you, Miss Strauss," he sighed. "And no, you don't have to fear any concurrence from Levy. I rather think that she will pester you for details. And believe me, for someone who looks that innocent, she sometimes gets pretty stubborn when she wants to know something. But that's how we script mages are."

She chuckled before she suddenly stopped as deep blue runes appeared in front of them. "What's that?" she asked with a deep frown. "Did you accidentally leave a rune enchantment from the fight, Fried? Because if you did, it was extremely reckless."

"I don't do recklessness and even if it would have been me, the runes would be purple instead of blue … no … argh, of course…" he sighed deeply. "I should have predicted this … I talked with Levy before I came here and well, while she isn't as profound with runes as I am, she is able to write easy enchantments. And that's what she did here."

"And … um … what is the rule to get out of this?" she asked as she secretly swore to embarrass the blue-haired mage somehow to make up for this trap.

"We … um … have to kiss … on the lips," Fried muttered quietly. "Levy is smart enough to define what she wants to see instead of leaving us a loophole. So she cannot be all that innocent."

"I just came to the same conclusion," the white-haired woman stated drily. "Alright, so, um, let's just do it, alright? It … it is just a kiss after all, right?"

* * *

Levy was relaxing in the guild as Fried stormed into the guildhall with a red head that rivalled both his own jacket and Erza's hair. "I would like an explication, you know?" he hissed.

"Oi, don't go talking to the shrimp like that," Gajeel interrupted.

"It's alright with me, Gajeel," the blue-haired woman grinned. "Well, you see, Fried, I was feeling sorry for both you and Mira because with your damned pride, you wouldn't have kissed her in the next four centuries. So I just used my beautiful light pen and wrote a few runes. Your fault for running straight into it because I wrote only one set and you ran straight into it…"

"Be happy that I try to be a better person now because I would love to fight you for this."

"Tsk, wouldn't that be against the rules, Fried-kun?" she taunted.

"Levy McGarden, I am warning you," he replied dangerously soft.

"Why didn't you simply rewrite them in first place?" she asked as she closed her book. "Oh well, I guess that you actually wanted to kiss Mira and that the runes only helped you with that. In that case … you don't have to thank me, you know?"

"Those are exactly the moments when I wonder why, oh why I joined the same guild you joined," he sighed. "Still, thanks for everything, Levy. And you did a good job at the Battle of Fairy Tail."

"You only got predictable after so many years, Fried," she replied as she chuckled. "Anyway, I am out of here. Jet and Droy wanted to go on a mission now."

Fried waited until she had left before he turned his gaze at Gajeel. "Hurt her and you will have to face my wrath," he said grimly. "Levy is a good girl and should anything happen to her while you are with her, believe me, I will find ways to make you pay for this. And I swear, that won't be nice."

"Fried…" Mira appeared behind him and grabbed his arm. "Don't threaten other people, will you?"

"I accept, Justine," the iron dragon slayer said grimly. "But if something happens, fight me like the man you are and … not like the weakling you were against Juvia and booze chick, alright?"


	16. Letter, Elfgreen

**16****th****: Letter**

* * *

**Summary**: _Her words albeit strangely stiff and awkward touched his broken heart and put it back together. It was, without a doubt, love._

* * *

**AN**_: Elfgreen … finally. That will be probably the hardest to write especially since I believe that there is more to Evergreen than her obsession with fairies._

* * *

Evergreen had no words to speak or to write down. For the first time in her life, she felt empty as she sat in her room in Fairy Hills, trying to ignore the weeping sounds from Juvia's room where a certain card mage was nursing her heartache with the water mage's help and trying to focus on the paper in front of her, hoping to find a way to force the words she wanted to say onto said paper.

The nights were cold in Magnolia, especially in autumn and winter, but the cold she felt wasn't to blame on the weather even though she feared that her body might freeze up if she wouldn't sit right in front of the fire.

Her problem was that she had never apologised that honestly before and she felt like Elfman should be the first to hear a true apology from her while all the others would have to wait. The ironic thing about her fight with Elfman had been that she hadn't want to hurt him – which was why he had gotten away with far less injuries than most people who ever had the misfortune of fighting her. She actually liked the clumsy man and this terrified her greatly because so many people had rejected her in her life for various reasons and she didn't want to go through this pain all over again because she wasn't sure if she would be able to stand this pain again.

Still, she had to write this damned letter.

* * *

_Dear Elfman,  
this is an apology letter  
I am not good at things like this because I usually never apologise but I feel like I owe quite a few people an apology right now and I figured out that I should start out with you.  
Like I already hinted at, I am sorry for the fight, my harsh words, your injuries and everything else – especially for petrifying your older sister. I know how much you love her after all, don't I?  
If I had known that you would run into Fried next, I would have let you win or I would have ensured that it would have ended in a draw, meaning that both of us would have been allowed to participate in the fights afterwards. I know Fried and therefore I can imagine the degree of your injuries.  
To be honest, I really envy people like you and Cana-san. To keep fighting even after being injured this badly just because there is a comrade on the line, that is admirable and I wish that I had someone I would fight for like this. Sadly, there is no one.  
A few years ago, we used to be friends and as a former friend I ask for your forgiveness. Your sister's death changed you and even though I am probably not the right person to say this, I understand your feelings about this and therefore, I won't write anything about Lisanna now. But one thing I regretted the most about her death is that is split us apart – along with the time-consuming jobs Fried chooses for the Thundergod Tribe as the self-proclaimed leader. Tsk.  
I can merely recall what it was like to be your friend. I only remember that it was a nice, comfortable feeling and that I miss it. I never cried about the loss of this friendship. Alright, that was a lie. I banished the memory of being your friend because … it was painful for me. It was painful to know that it was over and that I never had the chance to fight for it.  
You know that I hate to lose, right?  
Anyway, I apologise,  
Ever  
PS: Congratulation on mastering the full body takeover! I always knew that you could do it._

* * *

He read the letter again, wondering if this was really Evergreen's writing and not some imitation. But hardly anyone knew that they had been friends once, before Lisanna's death, and no one knew that Evergreen had always believed that he would master the full body takeover 'when the time is right' and so it had to be a letter from her.

True to her personality, her words were stiff and slightly awkward but he didn't mind because this was how his Ever was: complicated and socially awkward because she had never had a normal life. He had been her only friend outside her team and sometimes, she had called him the only real friend she had had because Fried and Bixslow were more like brothers to her.

He had missed her and to read that she had missed him too caused a strange feeling in his chest, right where his broken heart resided because even though it was hard to believe, all the memories were returning to him. There had been many calm moments after sparring when they had rested in the shadows of huge trees. There had been many funny moments in the guild, laughing about Mira's and Erza's fights while Lisanna had merely shook her head.

To remember this healed him. It made him whole again. **Evergreen** made him whole again. She fixed what no one had been able to fix so far. She was, without a doubt, good for him and so he rose from his chair, leaving the letter behind and went to look for her.

He found her in the garden of Fairy Hills where she sat on a bench while she read a book. "Long time no see, Ever," he said calmly as she raised her head. "Can I sit down with you?"

"Sure," she replied with a faint smile. "Did you get my letter?"

"I did," he nodded. "And I wanted to say that I accept your apology."

"Oh, that's good," she replied with a sigh. "That makes it easier for me to apologise to the others."

"You know that they don't expect it from you, right?" he asked as he stared at the sky. "People know that you're a proud one and some might actually be as shocked as I was when you suddenly go and apologise to everyone."

"Not everyone, of course," she said. "Just the ones I petrified … and not to Erza, pah. I would have already apologised to Cana and Juvia but they are currently not available because Cana is nursing a major heartache and Juvia is helping her with it."

"A Cana with heartache is a new concept because usually, she is too drunk to feel any pain," Elfman said drily. "That's not manly at all."

"Well, she isn't a man and girls like us, we are allowed to eat tons of ice cream when we have heartache. And for her, it's especially bad, I guess. She was betrayed after all," Evergreen shrugged. "But on the other hand, I am sure that he will be back for her."

"Just like you were back for me?" he asked as he watched the clouds.

"Yes," she admitted. "That's why I am so sure of it in the end. And because I know that he loves this guild … just we all do. He has just a strange way to express his feelings."

"You are a lot like him – minus the leaving-thing, of course. That wasn't manly of him but she will get over it. She always did," he said with a shrug. "But … where does this leave us?"

"I would suggest that we will watch where the road takes us," she smiled.

"That sounds like a man's word," he agreed.

"Elfman," she sighed.

He raised his hands. "Sorry, Ever," he muttered and they both laughed.

They could laugh because what they had was, without a doubt, love and though they said that they would let it happen, they knew where they would end up one day.


	17. Gambling, Laxana

**17****th****: Gambling**

* * *

**Summary**: _The stakes were high at a play like this but she would win anyway._

* * *

"You raised the stakes, Cana," he said as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "I really wonder what the guild would say if they knew where you are right now."

"I am too good at keeping secrets to be caught," she replied as she stared at the lights of Era. "You of all people should know that, right?"

"Of course," he said with a sigh. "But you would fall so deep, wouldn't you? From the praised guild veteran to a traitor … some might even assume that you knew of my plans for the Battle of Fairy Tail … your loyalty towards the guild might be questioned…"

"After my fight against Fried? Please," she sighed. "I proved my loyalty many times and I really doubt that such a minor issue would make the others doubt me."

"I don't think that being engaged with the lunatic who nearly killed off whole Magnolia might prompt Mirajane and a few of the other women to ask questions," he said as he hugged her tightly. "Especially after our argument during the Phantom Lord Crisis…"

"Do you want me to leave that badly or why are you talking like that?" she snapped. "I made a decision. If the guild has a problem with my decision, please, they can excommunicate me. There are plenty of guilds that would love to have me after all."

"The last thing I want for you is to be unhappy," he said softly. "And don't say that you wouldn't care if grandfather would throw you out. You love Fairy Tail. If you would have wanted to join your mother's old guild, you would have been a part of Mermaid's Heel for twelve years. You need Fairy Tail like the air you breathe."

"I need you more," she replied softly as she turned around and traced the lightening-shaped scar on his face with her fingertips. "You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "And I really wished that you wouldn't do this … because two months ago, I was an S-class mage. I was someone in the guild. I was part of the elite. Everyone respected me … well, more or less. Then I went and snapped and now, I am a nobody."

"Well, I happen to love this nobody just as much as I loved the somebody before," she said.

"Does anyone know that you are here right now?" he asked as he sighed into her hair.

"Juvia knows," she replied. "Technically, we are on a mission together but she's a former S-class mage. She said that she can deal with it on her own. And she won't tell anyone."

"You told her that you would be meeting me?" the blond man asked shocked.

"I can trust her," Cana replied with a slight edge in her voice. "Sure, she used to be in Phantom Lord but I can rely on her with the really important things. She won't tell anyone because we are friends and friends don't go and scream secrets from the roofs of the town."

"So, if I kill you, I would have to face the rage of a wrathful water mage?" he asked.

"That's not even funny," she snapped at him as she stepped away from him.

"Do you think this situation is easy for me?" he asked as he sat down on the couch. "This is terrible for me. I want to be a part of your life, a real part. Tomorrow, you will leave for Magnolia again and you will be far away why I will be sitting here, waiting for the next time you have a job here. I feel so … dirty for hiding all the time."

She sighed deeply as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "First of all: You are not my dirty little secret. You are my fiancé and I am really proud of this," she said as she watched how her ring glittered in the moonlight. "Secondly: Both of us have been gambling with high stakes since we began this relationship and we didn't lose yet."

"I lost," he muttered. "I wanted to increase the gain and lost everything. That's so pathetic."

"You could still afford a pretty ring for my hand so it's alright," she chuckled. "I can deal with this. I am hanging out a lot with Juvia lately … she's still waiting for Gray to get it."

"You are Gray's friend, you could help her there," Laxus sighed. "Usually, you could get him to see the facts quite easy…"

"I tried, believe me, I tried," she said darkly. "But he still had the nerve to ask me to be his fake-date for a mission. Juvia nearly cried when she heard this."

"What did you do?" he asked.

"He got a slap and a snappy remark that he should open up his damned eyes before someone else would see what he fails to see," she said grimly. "Sometimes, I really want to yell the truth into his face but we all know how he would react to this…"

"Gray is really a dense guy sometimes," he agreed. "I am sorry, by the way. I messed up all the plans we had for the future … our future."

"Laxus, I am not happy about the current situation but I always told you that you shouldn't change because of me," she said as she hugged him tightly. "I believed in you and I still do."

"You believed in the wrong guy, Cana, I fear," he muttered quietly. "You are perfect, alright? And I just can't keep up with that perfection. I am sorry. I am just a mess."

"I was never wrong when it came to these things before," she said softly. "No Fairy Tail mage is perfect, don't forget that. I don't want to pretend that we are perfect because we aren't. We are human and we are doomed to make mistakes … but we will get up and we will change … and we will learn from our mistakes so that we won't repeat them."

"Yeah," he agreed. "You are right."

"Don't sound so surprised because of that," she pouted. "We won't fall apart because of this, understood? This might not be the relationship we had in mind but this is what we got and we need to learn to dealing with the cards fate dealt us."

"Alright," he said. "We won't try being like Alzack and Bisca. Seriously, they should be together by now. We will be Cana and Laxus because this will be alright for us."

"Yes," she nodded. "And even if it means that I won't stop gambling at high stakes anytime soon, we will make this work. But it's alright with me … because I never lost when there was much on the line, right?"

"Well, you've a point there, Alberona," he grinned.

"Thanks, Dreyar," she smirked.


	18. Not a Fairy Tale, BiscaAlzack

**18****th****: Not a Fairytale**

* * *

**Summary**: _It didn't have to be a fairytale to have a happy ending._

* * *

Bisca Moulin was the youngest daughter of a man who made guns for a living. Her mother had died shortly after Bisca had reached her third birthday and so her father and her older siblings had raised her. For a girl, Bisca was extraordinarily interested in her father's work and once she got older, her elder brother taught her how to shoot – and an obsession with rifles and guns was born. Bisca was a young girl who was ambitious enough to work hard on her aim – and one day she discovered that she could use magic to improve her aim even further. When she was twelve, she had an accuracy of more than ninety-seven percent – leaving her siblings in the dust.

Exquip magic was the answer to her problem that she could never carry all her rifles and guns around with her and as time passed, she became quite good at it – good enough to realise that the little village where she came from had gotten too small for her.

She wasn't a princess and she had never believed herself to be a princess. She was used to hard work and she wasn't afraid of dirtying her hands while doing a job – and she rather worked hard than to let others do her work. Maybe this was because of her upbringing in a small town where everyone knew everybody and no one believed to be something better than another one. She had liked her little town but she had needed more space to grow.

And so she left and when she came to Magnolia, she found a guild where she could continue to grow – and in this guild, she met a mage who used gun magic as well. His name was Alzack and like her, he wasn't from Magnolia.

Since their magic was similar, they started to go on jobs together which led them to spend a lot of time together. And inevitable, she fell for him – hard – but every time she wanted to confess, something happened and so she never really got the chance.

* * *

He was no prince despite the fact that his parents were filthy rich. His upbringing had been quite good and his parents had spent a lot of money to get the best teachers for his education. But the young Alzack didn't care much about mathematics and ancient languages. He rather spent his time with his grandfather, a retired user of gun magic. The old man liked to speak for hours about gun magic and the jobs he had done when he had been part of a guild in Magnolia, the infamous Fairy Tail guild.

And so, the fourteen year old boy started to dream about the guild his grandfather had belonged to once as he practiced gun magic under his grandfather's tutorage. But Alzack never saw a reason why he should leave to search for this guild because even though he didn't feel all that comfortable at home (especially with his mother nagging about the length of his hair all the time), he wasn't sure if he was ready for his own adventure yet.

But when he was sixteen, his grandfather died and right after the funeral, Alzack grabbed a bag with clothes, some money and headed out towards his own adventure.

Fairy Tail was nothing like he had expected it. It surpassed his expectations by far and he was more than happy that he had chosen to join this guild.

And shortly after he had joined, a green-haired woman, a fellow gunman, joined Fairy Tail. Her name was Bisca Moulin and she used requip magic which made her instantly extremely awesome. She was the gunner and after three missions together, Alzack found himself falling for the woman who had always a rifle or two at her disposal and who used her guns with such elegance that he wondered why he was the only one to see this.

* * *

The more time passed, the closer the both mages got and after the Tenrou-Island-disaster and the following disappearance of the core members of Fairy Tail, Alzack finally mustered up the courage to ask her out on a date. They met in a small restaurant which had been recommended by Fried, Laxus and Gray respectively at three different occasions and maybe Alzack should have known that those three and their dates would be remembered at Fairy Tail mages and Bisca's tattoo on her calf was visible because of the opening in her dress. And so, the drama began.

"Fairy Tail, again?" the waitress sighed as she brought their drinks. "We will have to add you two to our collection. So many of your guild came here…"

"Oh, really?" Bisca asked as she looked up from the menu where she had been choosing her meal. "Yes, I remembered that Mira talked about this place once or twice…"

"She was here with Mr Justine," the woman nodded seriously. "Mr Strauss came with Miss Evergreen and even Miss Alberona was here with the young Mr Dreyar quite a few times."

"Cana and Laxus?" Alzack's jaw dropped. "I didn't see that coming."

"No one would have seen that coming – especially not after Fantasia," the exquip mage stated drily. "But somehow, it makes sense. Both of them are very ambitious – and they have been in the guild of the longest time…"

The Tenrou-Island-disaster had happened only a few weeks ago and those Fairy Tail mages who hadn't abandoned the guild rather thought of the missing as _absent_ instead of dead. It was easier this way even though they knew that it couldn't be like this forever. Macao had become master because he had been the longest in the guild but Bisca sometimes stared out the window and hoped for someone to return – she wouldn't care if it was Gildarts, Laxus, Erza, Mira or even Mystogan – she only wanted one of the S-class mages to come back because there was no way that Macao could be a good mage … not with the emotional trauma of losing one of his best friends, Cana, during the disaster.

"Since they were kids, I heard from Mira," Alzack agreed before he shook his head. "To think of them now makes me miss the others even more. We never got to know if Juvia managed to make Gray realise her feelings for him…"

"Miss Loxar was dating Mr Fullbuster before their unfortunate disappearance," the waitress smiled. "So, do you want to order your meals now or shall I return later on?"

"We would like to order now," Alzack said as he put down his menu. "Bisca, ladies first."

"You're quite the gentleman if you want to," she stated as she raised her eyebrow. "I like this to tell the truth, Alzack."

"Anything for the lady," he said with a friendly smile.

The food came soon afterwards and true to the recommendations of various nakama, the meals were delicious. No matter how much of a bastard Freed had been during the Battle of Fairy Tail, he had a good taste when it came to food, Alzack concluded.

"Thanks for the nice evening," Bisca said as they strolled through the town. "I guess I needed something like this to get my mind out of the Tenrou-disaster."

"I am still wondering what happened there," he sighed as he stared at the ground. "I am just happy that you weren't there as well, Bisca. That would have made things worse…"

She nodded as she patted his shoulder. "Anyway, I did enjoy the evening out," she stated with a smile. "Though I would have liked it more if Mira and the others would be there to pester me the second I put a foot into Fairy Hills … but I cannot have everything in life."

For a moment, Alzack argued with himself before he wrapped one arm around her. "We will be fine," he promised. "And whenever you need a distraction, ask me."

A faint blush covered the gunner's cheeks and she looked away. "That would be nice," she muttered shyly as she stared at the stars. This wasn't perfect. This wasn't this sweet kind of fairytale romance little girls thought about. But this was Fairy Tail and therefore, it was the closest to perfection they would ever get.

And Bisca knew that this would be their happy ending – theirs only.


	19. Touching hands, CorneliaGildarts

**19****th****: Touching hands**

* * *

**Summary**: _The first time, their hands touched, it was an accident. The second time, she grabbed his to pull him out of the way of an attack. They were both too focused to think anything of this. The third time, he held hers as she was hurt. The fourth time, she dragged him out for diner to thank him. The fifth time, they got married._

* * *

Makarov frowned as he read the letter his fellow guild master, Serena Alen had sent him. The woman was the master of Mermaid's Heel and she had inquired if Makarov couldn't send a few of his mages to a meeting between multiple guilds. The topic would be a dark guild which had to be defeated. The council didn't seem to care and after mages of Mermaid Heel had been attacked – along with mages of Blue Pegasus and Fairy Tail, the master didn't want to wait a moment longer and she wanted to strike back while they could.

"Ivan," Makarov said as he looked up to his son. "Get Gildarts … he's probably hanging out with Macao and Wakaba. I need him for a job."

"Of course, father," Ivan said with an unreadable expression and left the room.

"This doesn't sound good," the pink-haired woman by the window said softly as she poured tea into a cup and put it down in front of him. "And you shouldn't forget that you have to drink your tea. You were reckless to take that curse, Makarov."

"I know, Porlyusica," he sighed. "Anyway, I will send Gildarts to deal with this on our behalf. I cannot afford to send many mages right now with the injuries some suffered and whatever this dark guild will do, Gildarts can deal with it."

"That's certain," she replied calmly as she stared outside. "I am still worried that something bad might happen to him. "He is a potential successor after all, right?"

"Yeah…" the guild master said gloomy. "Ivan is … well, you know, right?"

She nodded darkly before she looked towards the door where Gildarts appeared.

"You called, master?" the S-class mage asked as he leaned against the doorframe.

"You will join the guild meeting at Mermaid Heel's headquarters on our behalf," Makarov said. "It's about that dark guild that stirred up trouble for far too long. Alen won't tolerate it any longer and I guess that Bob, Goldmine and Ooba have enough of this as well."

"I never cooperated with mages of Mermaid Heel before…" Gildarts remarked.

"They will be nice – and probably very attractive," the pink-haired medical advisor stated. "It's a women-only guild after all…"

"Great – I will be on my way then," the crash mage announced before he grabbed the map from the desk and left the office in a hurry that was rare for him.

"I hope that Alen prepared her mages for this," Makarov said. "And I hope that he will return without being harmed by a scorned woman…"

* * *

The meeting point was an inn, somewhere on the countryside. The insignia on the door already revealed it to belong to Mermaid Heel and the inside of the inn was thoughtfully decorated and looked very cosy. The receptionist led Gildarts into the conference room in the back of the building. The room was nearly empty. Only couches and chairs were arranged around tables and on the windowsill sat a young woman who was frowing at something that lay in front of her. On her stomach gleamed the sign of Mermaid Heel in a deep blueish black colour and it was only visible because her scarlet dress had a tear-shaped cut just above her hip. As Gildarts knocked against the doorframe, her deep brown hair slipped away from the second shoulder and she turned her head into his direction, looking at him with blue eyes that had a hue of purple in them.

"You are the first to arrive," she stated as she got up. "Welcome in Mermaid Heel's private inn. My master thanks you for your help, Mister…"

"Clive," he said and before he could stop himself, he added. "I'm Gildarts Clive, miss."

He wondered for a moment why he wanted to tell her his full name. Sure, in his guild, everyone called him just Gildarts but this woman was no part of his guild. She was part of another guild and chances were high that he would never see her again after this job was done but he wanted to get along with her as good as possible while they worked together.

"Cornelia Alberona," she said as she held out her hand. "I'm Mermaid Heel's delegate."

"Didn't your guild call in this meeting? Usually, there should be more of your mages…"

She looked down in embarrassment. "The flue got them all," she said. "I was on a job for three months so it couldn't get me too. Originally, I was supposed to be in Era right now but master told me that I've to represent my guild here."

"Well, it's not a matter of quantity but a matter of quality," Gildarts said with his most charming smile. "So, Miss Alberona-"

"Cornelia," she corrected. "Miss Alberona reminds me of my mother, Mr Clive."

"Then you should call me Gildarts because Mr Clive was my father," he smirked. "I was wondered when the other mages will appear…"

"Ichiya from Blue Pegasus can arrive later – I wouldn't mind that," she said as she returned to the windowsill and picked up the cards which she had left there. "I … don't feel comfortable around people like him. He means trouble and I don't want to be bothered by anything that might distract me during this mission."

"I can understand that feeling towards Ichiya," Gildarts nodded. "So, and you're a card mage? I never heard that Mermaid Heel had a strong card mage…"

He eclipsed the fact that he had never heard much about Mermaid Heel at all.

"That's perhaps because master never brags with her mages," Cornelia said slightly distracted as she put her cards onto one of the tables. "She wants us to have the moment of surprise on our side. Anyway, I am doing another fortunetelling if that's alright with you."

"I never knew that card magic is related to fortunetelling…"

"It isn't," she replied as she shuffled the cards. "I don't another card mage who uses fortunetelling. It's an advantage I have against most mages."

"Knowing the future … that's kinda overpowered," he said as he watched how she slowly put down the cards again. "The advantage this magic grants you is too … enourmos."

"It's not all that exact," she replied as she put the cards back into her bag. "I was supposed to meet my soul mate a week ago in Era but he didn't show up."

* * *

Half an hour later, Katharina Summers made her appearance. The white-haired Lamia Scale Mage with the angelic voice dragged Ichiya and a few other mages behind her as she kicked the door close behind her. "We are complete," she stated as she sat down on one of the tables. "We're listening, Mermaid."

The brunette woman frowned as her before she inhaled deeply. "Nice to meet you, Kat," she said before she got up from the windowsill and crossed the room. "Caught any nice souls for your takeover lately?"

"Have you any idea how difficult it is to catch more demon souls with a fiancé that always tells me that I shouldn't be that reckless?" the woman snapped. "You're so lucky that you can make your own cards, Conny. It's so annoying to depend on someone else … I nearly envy you for your independence."

"Miss Alberona, I've to tell you that you look simply amazing today!" Ichiya announced as he tried to hug Cornelia who dodged him and accidentally tripped over Gildarts' foot. Before she could fall, the crash mage grabbed her hand and winked at her.

"Shut up," Katharina ordered strictly. "We've a dark guild to beat after all and I've a wedding to plan. Conny, your guild called in this meeting. Did Alen say anything about a plan?"

"You know her … she never says anything until it's too late," Cornelia replied. "Anyway, we do have some intelligence about this dark guild. This should be enough to plot something."

"Got it," the white-haired woman said before she glared at Ichiya. "You get me a coffee – without milk or sugar. I drink my coffee pure black … so that it resembles my soul."

"The Demon Soul Takeover ruined your personality pretty badly, huh?" the card mage sighed. "I am already worried what kind of children you will have one day, Katharina…"

"Don't sound so worried," the other mage smiled. "I've everything under control, Conny – and I am getting behind Alen's weird way of making files. Alright … I will work with Ichiya – we can't have you killing him. Master Bob might be upset afterwards."

"You don't say," Gildarts said sarcastically as he realised that his hand was still wrapped around Cornelia's which felt strangely comfortable.

"Well, so I will also take little Jura … and the others will make a team as well," Katharina said before she grinned devilishly at Cornelia. "And since you're getting along with someone else but me for once, you are a team with Clive over there, Conny."

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room tensed as the card mage glared at her friend. Katharina actually took a step back and sighed deeply. "Not funny, huh?" she muttered.

"Not funny at all," Cornelia growled, moving her hand into the direction of her cards.

"Ichiya!" the takeover mage snapped. "Get her a drink – she's completely sober and that means that she is lethal right now. Damn her for her immense magical power…"

* * *

Katharina waited until Gildarts was alone in front of the inn, waiting for his partner before she appeared in front of him. She unsheathed the knife that she always kept hidden in her long hair and pointed it at him. "If something happens to Cornelia while you are with her, believe me, I will find ways and methods to make you pay for this," she whispered. "I am sure that you never saw a Satan Soul Takeover before … and I hope for you that it will stay like this … well, you heard my condition."

"I simply don't get why you care like this," he replied. "Sure, you are old friends or something like this but … if you are an S-class mage, you know the risk that a job might kill you. You know the risk of every damned step you take…"

"We were friends before we were mages," the white-haired woman stated as she gazed into the distance. "And once, she saved my life 'cause even something as powerful as a demon soul takeover has a weakness … it takes lots of magical power to uphold it for a long time. I don't have the insanely high amount of magical power Cornelia has … and so she could still use one of her most complicate cards when I was out of magic."

"So you are indebted," the Fairy Tail mage stated drily. "That's just too cute."

"Neither Conny nor I ever did cute," Katharina hissed. "She used to be a member of Lamia Scale – just like me … but she left. She cannot stand machos so be prepared for lots of lightening bolts. My friend is a dangerous one, you understand?"

"I will remember this," he rolled his eyes as he watched her walking in Cornelia's direction. The both young woman looked at each other and exchanged a weak smile before they stepped away from each other, both to their respective teammates. For both of them, it was the first time that they participated in a multiple-guilds-operation and since it would be a dangerous one, they said goodbye as well. Gildarts frowned slightly as Cornelia appeared next to him, one hand already buried deep in her bag where she kept her cards.

"We should try to stay out of trouble," he advised.

"According to the plan, this might be difficult," she replied. "Ah well, we have Kat as our backup. She will complain but she could save us."

"Well, we shouldn't plan on being saved but we should plan on staying alive," he stated.

For a moment, he wondered how old she might be. She acted far more mature than most mages from Fairy Tail and the subtle no-nonsense attitude she had gave him the impression that she wasn't only a capable mage but also a good person.

"That sounds like a smart idea," she sighed as they left the yard in front of the inn. "I cannot miss Kat's wedding after all, can I?"

* * *

"Chi-chi-chi…" the dark mage chuckled as he spotted the both S-class mages who looked grimly at him. "Looks like both the fairy and the mermaid managed to get through the monsters we lured into this forest…"

"Not funny," Cornelia stated as she wiped away the blood from her forehead where a talon had scratched her earlier. "Anyway, we are here to put an end to your evil doings."

"The queen of cards and the daydreaming crash mage … well, I guess that today is my lucky day," he replied. "Anyway, I think that this battle should start now."

"We are ready," Gildarts grinned darkly. "Show what you got, will you?"

"He uses Lightening Magic," Cornelia muttered under her breath as she searched for cards that might cancel the effect of such spells. "Well, I expected more from a guild that is supposedly a risk for my nakama."

"You are quite arrogant, young lady," the dark mage said as he threw a first lightening bolt into her direction. "I really wonder if you seriously have this much self-confidence or if you are only good at looking tall when you feel small."

"Sorry to break the news to you but you will never find out," she snapped as she threw her cards upon dodging. "Spiral sight," she said smugly as lightening bolts hit the area around Gildarts and her. "Lightening mages require a clear sight … and I cancelled that. Gildarts, the way is free now."

"Card Magic is actually extremely useful," he laughed before he moved forward to deal with the mage in short ranged combat. "We are a good deal. You take them out from afar and I take care of the guys who get a little bit too close."

"I believe that this was the reason why Katharina put us into the same team," she said before she twirled around and blocked a beast's stroke with her left forearm as she pressed a card onto the arm and burned it severely. "That was a close call."

"For such a fragile looking thing, you are sure strong," he said a she finished of the monster. "That wasn't supposed to be an insulting comment or something like that…"

"Tsk," she snorted as they walked on. "Comments like this are the reason why I joined a women-only guild. To think that there are seriously women who put up with this … tsk."

* * *

"Katharina-sama…" the bald boy said worried as she collapsed and spat out blood after being pierced by a sword. "Can I do something to help you?"

"Jura-kun, no," she replied as she pressed her hand onto the wound. "This is the first time that I got hurt in my demon form. This worries me. Usually, I am too fast to be injured."

"We don't have a healer," one of the Blue Pegasus mages stated. "What shall we do now?"

"I will have to increase the debt I owe Conny," the takeover mage sighed as she leaned against a tree after transforming back. "She has a card that would numb the pain and stop the bleeding. That wouldn't equal a real healing of the wound but it would fix the problem temporarily … and that would be enough for me right now."

"We were supposed to meet here anyway, Katharina-sama," Jura stated as he sat down next to her to press the jacket she had abandoned earlier against the gash. "You won't have to wait much longer, I am sure of this."

"You are a good boy, Jura-kun," she said as she patted his shoulder. "I am sure that you will be one of the strongest in our guild one day."

* * *

"…attention, Gildarts!" Cornelia screamed as she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the side. The magical attack missed him by mere inches and as he watched the destruction it caused, he paled. "Oh well, I guess I owe you one, Cornelia," he sighed.

She nodded solemnly. "I will keep that in mind," she said seriously. "But don't worry – I am usually more than fine on my own."

"If it's like this, I could take you out on a date sometime," he shrugged as he watched with hidden glee how she stared at him with confusion written onto her pretty face. During the past few hours, between blood and guts, he had realised that even though Miss Alberona was part of a guild, she was used to working alone. Well, the same went for him so this was probably the reason why they hadn't killed each other yet. He had learned that she had quite a temper and that she had cards, no other card mage had because she made them herself. She was a creator just as much as he was a destroyer and he liked her for being so different from him. She was younger than him – but not naïve. She was careful and she had looked out for him just like he had looked out for her.

And her hand – which he had touched multiple times since they met – felt nice in his own. He liked that she wasn't overly excited and that she could take care of herself because that meant that she was strong, a real fighter. He liked that she hadn't complained after a monster had nearly gotten her leg before he had killed it.

"A date, huh?" she raised one eyebrow. "Well, why not? It's not like I have anything to do."

* * *

Cornelia tried to remember what had happened before she had passed out as she slowly regained consciousness but everything she could remember was how she had stopped Katharina's bleeding before an attack had hit her from behind and world had gone black.

She realised that she was currently lying in a bed while her left shoulder hurt terribly. She assumed that Katharina who had been healed had completed the task by taking out the main problem because even with a barely healed gash on her stomach, the takeover mage was one dangerous woman and Cornelia had known her for too long to believe that the white-haired woman would have done the reasonable thing (leaving this task to someone else) because this would her pride never allow.

"I see that you are waking up," a smooth voice said and she suppressed the urge to groan as she recognised Gildarts Clive's voice. That man was infuriating – in a good and a bad way at the same time – and for someone who hated being caught in a state of weakness, it bothered her that someone who wasn't Katharina had to see her like this.

"Yeah…" she muttered tiredly as she slowly opened her eyes. "How did the job go after I passed out?" she immediately inquired.

"Your friend Katharina is still gone with that Jura-boy but she should be here soon," he said calmly. "You scared us quite a bit … that spell left quite a scar on your shoulder – even after your guild master healed it…"

"Serena-sama is here … oh no…" the injured card mage muttered. "Gildarts, can you please kill me now? She will make a fuss about this…"

"If he kills my S-class mage, I will kill him," the harsh and strangely distanced voice of Mermaid Heel's guild master, Serena Alen, resounded in the room as the woman entered. "Tsk, Cornelia, you have to pay more attention the next time and you have to rest three weeks. If I see you one day earlier in the guild, I will renounce your S-rank personally."

"Understood, Serena-sama," the brunette muttered as the master rushed away. "Well, this went better than I expected. Usually, she would scream at me for being a – and I quote – _'goddamn fool who puts the success of a mission in front of her own wellbeing'_ … she can be quite annoying if she really wants too."

"She was really worried for you … said something about an injury you suffered earlier this year…" the crash mage shrugged. "Maybe you should understand that some people really care for you … and maybe you should stop pushing everyone away, Cornelia."

"I don't have commitment issues," she snapped. "Why does everyone assume that I have issues just because I am fine on my own and don't dream of marriage like any other girl?"

* * *

Gildarts was happily back in Magnolia and recovering from the job by drinking with some of his friends as a shadow fell onto the table and he looked up. "Hey there, Cornelia," he grinned. "Did the lioness finally let you get up again?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm still suspended from work," she said as she brushed back her hair. "So I was wondering if I can interest you in dinner … Kat said that you carried me back to the inn after the accident and so I wanted to thank you…"

"I guess that someone as beautiful as you will never have a problem to get me to go out with her," he smirked as he got up. "Well, Miss Alberona, I think that I owed you dinner for pulling me back during that stupid mission…"

"Well, I asked you right now and it would be impolite to turn the offer down," she smiled and brushed back a strand of her hair. "C'mon, I want to get a good table…"

She grabbed his hand and dragged him down the street.

"Do you even know any good restaurants here in Magnolia?" he asked confused.

She shook her head. "It's my first time here anyway," she admitted. "Master Serena asked me to deliver a letter to Master Makarov and so I am here. And since I was here, I decided that I would force you to go out with me today."

"Aren't you a bossy little thing?" he grinned as he walked next to her.

"He, I'm not that young," she said darkly. "I am eighteen, alright?"

"Tsk, seven years younger than I am," he shrugged. "That makes you being an S-class mage even more admirable. I guess you worked hard for this, huh?"

"Yeah," she said. "Kat helped me a lot … she made it years ago … when we were still both mages of Lamia Scale. I never got it right, you see? I needed six attempts before I finally managed to become an S-class mage but that makes the victory even sweeter."

"Well, you do have a strong offence but your defence is pretty weak," he nodded.

"Oh well, I wanted to ask you if you want to come to Kat's wedding with me," she said. "Kat said that she would like to have you there as well and that I should ask you if you want to come as well…"

"Well, how could I say no to someone as beautiful as you are, Cornelia?" he asked. "If Miss Demon really wants to have me there, it will be my honour to be there."

"Sure she wants to have you there," she grinned. "I will give you the exact dates soon…"

* * *

She was beautiful – even more so than usually – and he felt how his breath stayed away. Her scarlet dress made her tanned skin glow and as usually, she showed of her guild tattoo. This time, the cut that allowed the audience to see the blackish blue sign was heart-shaped, obviously a homage at the romantic reason why the wedding was taking place. Even as she stood all alone on the balcony, she radiated a glow no other woman would compete against. Even the bride paled in comparison – but maybe this was just Gildarts' biased opinion because Cornelia was his date after all.

"You should go and talk with her," Katharina said amused as she crossed her arms. "Conny's a sweet girl and I want her to be there when I throw the bouquet, understood?"

"Understood, Mrs Strauss," he sighed. "I will do my best."

"That's nice, Clive," she chuckled. "Oh – and if you mess up, I will kill you."

"You aren't above threatening my life on your own wedding?" he asked with a frown.

She laughed as she walked away. "Many years will have to pass before I will really calm down," she called out over her shoulder. "But that's alright for everyone."

He merely waved at her before he walked over to his date who was staring at the stars. "They are nice," he said as he rested his hands on the railing.

"Only nice?" she asked with a pout.

"Well, you are outshining them – so what do you expect?" he asked as he patted her hand before he held it. "I like stars … they are probably the only thing that will never disappear in this crazy world."

"Nothing is forever in this crazy world after all," she agreed. "Usually, I can accept that without trouble but right now…"

"For me, that's one of the moments that aren't supposed to end, yeah," he nodded before he looked seriously down at her. "If this was a movie…"

"…we would kiss now, yeah," she muttered as she tilted her head upwards. "So, what's stopping us? No one is paying attention anyway…"

"Your demon friend is glaring into my direction," he replied as he bent down.

"Let her glare," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

* * *

When Gildarts and Cornelia married, there were hardly any guests.

Sure, a few of her Mermaid Heel nakama had come and Katharina as well, dragging her poor husband along. Gildarts had been reluctant about inviting Fairy Tail mages because he hardly knew anyone in the guild right now. A few of his old friends had left the guild and they had come. Otherwise, there was no one he had wanted to have there at his wedding. He had invited Makarov and his wife but they had declined because of personal reasons (the birthday of their only grandson).

"Finally," Katharina grinned once the priest was gone and the few guests congratulated. "I was getting worried that you would never get married, Conny."

The bride glared at her. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't kill you," she hissed.

"You would have to let go of Gildarts' hand if you were to kill her," Serena smiled as she shook the couple's hands. "I hope that you will be blessed with wonderful children … with children of great magical skill … and I really hope that your kids can hold their liquor better than you do, Cornelia."

The female S-class mage stared down. "I know that I'm a lightweight – no reason to make fun of me, Serena-sama," she muttered as she gently squeezed her husband's hand. As long as their fingers were connected, nothing would ever come between them.


	20. Comet, Jerza

**20****th****: Comet**

* * *

**Summary**: _They didn't do perfection. They didn't do classical relationship. But what they did was around as effective as a glowing stone from the sky._

* * *

**Dedication**: _This one-shot is dedicated to_ **Seri3991.**

* * *

Sometimes, he lay awake and wondered. (Ultear always told him that he thought too much and that all his musing wasn't healthy for him. He was tempted to agree with her but somehow, he never managed to agree completely with the time mage.) He lay awake and he thought about the woman with kind brown eyes and scarlet hair. His relationship with her was somewhat complicated since he was a criminal and since she was a Fairy Tail mage who stood on the side of uprightness and goodness.

Still, they were kind of dating.

Meredy sometimes called him a fool for not taking his girlfriend and running away to a faraway country where they could live together, without having to worry about a magical council that could stir up trouble for them. Still, the male mage knew that his Erza would never run away. She simply wasn't the type of woman who would run away – and he adored her for this. They had been through so much pain and sorrow that anyone less strong than Erza would have ran out of power long ago. But she was still there, unyielding and stubborn as always. They had laughed and cried together. They had fought and kissed each other. And every time one of them had seemed to fall into the darkness, the other one had been there to pick up the pieces.

But their relationship wasn't perfect and he caught himself being envious when he watched how Gajeel could treat Levy like a princess in public. (The first time he had seen this, however, he had firmly believed that someone had drugged the Iron Dragon Slayer.) He wanted to punch Natsu whenever the pink-haired idiot kissed his Celestial Spirit Mage's forehead – just to see her blush. It was unfair that even someone like Laxus could treat his alcohol-addicted girlfriend with dinner when Erza never got anything.

* * *

She smiled in her sleep as she dreamed of her blue-haired boyfriend. She felt how her body trembled just because his fingertips traced her lips. She was in love with him and nothing would ever change this. She was incredibly jealous of Ultear and Meredy who could spend so much time with him – on the other hand, neither of the both female Crime Sorciere mages could be with the one she loved. Erza knew from Jellal's letters that Ultear hadn't seen Lyon in months and that Meredy was sulking because the last time she had seen Eve, Ultear had interrupted their date because of a dark guild they had to fight.

For no one who was involved with a Crime Sorciere mage it was easy.

Erza found herself in a – relatively – lucky situation. Her guild was supportive of her relationship with a criminal and supported her by covering for them both while neither Lamia Scale nor Blue Pegasus knew about their mages involvement with Ultear and Meredy respectively. It was a serious situation and while she sometimes felt like she would burst because the happiness was too much for her, she always kept in mind how frustrated the others had to be. She had once pitied Cana because after Laxus' excommunication, the Card Mage had been nearly depressed. Back then, Erza hadn't understood how someone could have so much faith in someone who had betrayed this trust once.

Now, she understood perfectly how it felt to be torn apart between heart and head.

Laxus' scar which happened to be one of his most prominent traits was a consequence from intercepting an attack against Cana. Erza remembered how she had talked with Mira about that incident. None of them had understood why their fellow S-class mage had done this … they hadn't understood why someone would risk to die for the one they loved. Now, both of them understood.

It was true what they said, Erza mused. No one could understand the concept and the madness of love until falling in love. No one could understand the desperation and the hope love brought likewise. The worlds between tears of bittersweet regret and joy that reached to the moon and back were mysteries until feeling them.

She wished, however, that Jellal could be there to hold her in his arms tonight but she knew that this wasn't possible. First of all, men weren't allowed in Fairy Hills (though Laxus and a few others had gotten quite proficient had sneaking in) and secondly: Crime Sorciere was taking care of a dark guild, many miles away.

* * *

He wanted to be her hero. He wanted to be there when she was in pain. He wanted to hold her and to tell her that everything would be okay again. He wanted to be at her side - always, today and every following day. He wanted to surprise her with little gifts. He wanted to tell her that he would always be hers and that his heart would always beat only for her.

But he couldn't do this because he was forced to run and hide all the time.

Frustrated, he sat up and looked around in their room. Ultear slept calmly on her bed, wrapped tightly into Lyon's old coat while Meredy slept on her back while she held a snow globe Eve had given her for midwinter tightly in her hand.

The blue-haired man sighed deeply. They all shared the same pain of being too far away from their loves and especially Ultear was getting annoyed with this lately. She had snapped at _Meredy_ earlier today for being too _cheerful_. Even for the Time Mage's standards, this wasn't normal and Jellal knew that they would run 'accidentally' run into a certain Ice Mage of Lamia Scale pretty soon.

He stared at the sky, looking for a shooting star. He was about to look away and to try sleeping again when he saw one. It was a comet, heading down to earth, probably hitting the ocean pretty soon. The comet wasn't all that pretty but his trail was scarlet.

And that was their love – often depressing because they couldn't be together all the time when they wanted to – but scarlet and beautiful when they were together.


	21. Kind & Cruel, Mystwalker

**21****st****: Kind & Cruel**

* * *

**Summary**: _No matter how different they were, in the end, they were tied together by their love._

* * *

"…that was ridiculous," a red-haired woman in a ruined outfit muttered as she dragged herself through the empty hallways of the castle. "Absolutely … ridiculous."

"Harsh as always, Miss Knightwalker," a disgusting soft voice said from behind her and she stopped and exhaled slowly before she looked over her shoulder. "You shouldn't be here," she stated grimly as she looked over her shoulder. "Don't you have admiring fans to entertain, _Jellal_?" she spat as she glared at him.

"It has been a long time since we met," he said calmly. "And no, I don't have admiring fans that I should entertain right now. I have more important business to attend."

"Oh really?" she snapped. "You do know why I am mad at you, right?"

"To be honest, no," he sighed as he leaned against a wall. "Would you mind to explain?"

"As a matter of facts, yes," she said as she turned around. "You left me behind, Jellal. You left me alone with so many crazy people … you left me alone with my lunatic _father_…"

"I am sorry," he said as he looked down. "I am really, really sorry … Erza."

"Don't call me by the name you called Scarlet!" she said aggravated. "You abandoned me, Jellal. I thought we were friends … and yet, you went and left me alone. While I was here, working hard to uphold the peace in this country, you played the almighty wizard…"

"I had no choice but to leave," he replied. "I would have been killed by my own father if I had stayed here. You have to understand that my departure had nothing to do with you."

"You could at least admit that you forgot about me … that you forgot that someone was waiting for you, you complete failure," she said as she stabbed her forefinger into his chest and forced herself to uphold her bitchy personality. "You completely forgot about my existence, didn't you? You made new friends in Earthland…"

"Less than you assume," he replied as he grabbed her hand. "Erza, no, I didn't forget about you. To be honest, it's hard to forget someone as fierce as you are. I also didn't forget about our friendship … or about the secrets we shared as children. I can understand that you are mad … and if you would abandon your post now, well, I could understand that too … but I don't want you to go … I don't want us to separate again."

"Tsk," she snorted. "Earthland turned you into a sappy wimp. You would be lost without me. Edolas changed quite a bit while you were gone. It will be difficult to reconstruct everything. Well, that's what you get from running away. Edolas will make you regret this."

"I will need you," he admitted as he lowered their connected hands. "Erza…"

"I just told you not to call me this," she said with a glare. "You never listen to me."

"Alright, _Er-chan_," he rolled his eyes. "Is it better this way, Lady Knightwalker?"

"No one has called me that in … well … half an eternity," she muttered as a faint blush adorned her face. "Not after you abandoned me…"

"What I wanted to say, Er-chan, is that I will need your help. How would you feel about a promotion? I need an adviser … and you would be perfect for that job…"

"Most people hate me, Jellal," she said as she stared at the wall behind him. "That won't go well, seriously. There will be a lot of trouble for you…"

"No one would doubt my decisions," he replied as he smiled at her. "C'mon, Er-chan … I haven't forgotten about our childhood friendship. I haven't forgotten about our old trust and the faith we put into each other. And now, I hope that you haven't forgotten either."

"How could I forget the only real friend I've ever had?" she asked tiredly. "That's like the most annoying song I've ever heard … you can never get it out of your head, you see?"

"So we will go back on our path and correct the wrong decisions we made at the crossroads of life," he said as he grabbed her second hand as well and pulled her down the hallway. "Once, we were so strong … and I want us to go back to this time."

"Yeah … but where the hell are we going?" she snapped once more.

"You need to have someone looking after your injuries," he said as he looked around. "I am looking for my old room right now … hell, where is it…?"

"Next hallway to the right," she said as she rolled her eyes. "Seriously, how dumb do you have to be to forget where your own room is?"

"I haven't been here in years," he defended himself.

"That's no excuse," she said darkly but she had to hold back the urge to smile at him. He had always been a clumsy guy and as a young girl, she had found him pretty adorable. They had been childhood friends after all and he was probably the only person alive she actually had a soft spot for. She was mad at him for leaving her behind when he had gone to Earthland but at the same time, she was incredibly happy that he was back now. She groaned inwardly. How the hell was she supposed to keep her troupes in check when she was unable to figure out her own emotions regarding her old friend and now king?

"You are thinking too hard," said childhood friend declared as he opened the door to his room. "Seriously, Er-chan, you will get ugly wrinkles if you keep that up, girl…"

"Jellal, I am not above hitting you if you keep that up," she warned.

"You would seriously hurt your king, Er-chan? Tsk, that would be treason," he mocked.

"Right now, I start to wish that you had returned to Earthland with Scarlet and your other loser friends," she muttered as she followed him into his old room where he pushed her onto the bed. "Hey, hey, wild boy … I may dress scantily but I do have standards," she protested with amusement in her eyes. "Tsk, you know that I always said that I would wait until after the wedding with that step…"

"Was that a proposal?" he asked equally amused as he searched for his first aid kit.

"You wish," she chuckled as she leaned back. "Your bed is still the most comfortable one in the whole palace," she said as he continued his search. "Hey – can I have that room when you move into the king's old room? You know that I always liked this room…"

"Do you seriously think that I would move out of this room into my father's old room?" he asked as he held up the first aid kit with a wide grin. "Found it."

"Ah, c'mon," she said as she hissed in pain as he cleaned her wounds. "If you seriously want me to be your adviser, you have to sweeten the deal. And I want this room…"

"If you are that keen on it, we could always share," he suggested playfully.

"Well, why not?" she asked sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. "It's not like it might cause the worst scandal Edolas has ever seen after all…"

"If you hadn't rolled your eyes, I might have failed to notice the sarcasm," he chuckled.

"Tsk, you are still the same idiot you were all those years ago," she sighed. "Anyway, it's not like I ever cared what the people think of me … and you are the greatest hero in Edolas' history anyway right now … I guess that you can do about anything right now…"

"You think that I might be able to pass a law that would force anyway to go on their hands on every eighth Friday, Er-chan?" he asked amused. "Not that I would want to, of course."

"Like I just said, you can do probably everything because you are a hero now, wimp."

"Could I even order someone to build a Natsu-Wendy-Gajeel-statue for the garden?"

"Sure," she muttered tiredly. "Like I said … everything is possible right now…"

"Even kissing you?" he asked boldly. "Because that's something I am really interested in."

Her eyes widened before she glared at him. "I do not wish to be the replacement for Scarlet," she huffed. "If you really want to kiss me, I want you to kiss Knightwalker and not the woman-who-looks-pretty-much-exactly-like-Scarlet-without-being-Scarlet."

"Now, why would I want to kiss the counterpart of my childhood crush when I can kiss my childhood crush herself?" he asked amused. "Your jealousy of her is nearly cute, though."

"Shut up," she muttered as she pouted. "The question was justified."

"If you say so…" he said before he rested his hand on the back of her neck. "Seriously, Knightwalker, you need to learn to have faith in other people. Anything else will get you in trouble pretty soon…"

"Stop analysing my issues and kiss me," she ordered. "You are seriously one sappy guy."

"Tsk," he muttered as he leaned in. "And you are pushy and bossy as before … I'm glad to see that this at least hasn't changed at all, Lady Erza Knightwalker…"

Before he could say anything else, she leaned forwards and their lips met.

"Welcome home, King Jellal," she whispered as she pulled back.

"Thanks for the nice welcome, Er-chan," he replied as he rested his forehead against hers.


	22. Silence, Ur

**22****nd****: Silence**

* * *

**Summary**: _And suddenly, there was no sound as the blood rushed through her body and her heart beat even though it was shattered._

* * *

No matter what others might say: she was not a weak woman. True, she struggled just as much as everyone else too and she knew pain and she also knew that life sometimes got hard – but she had never expected life to take her precious daughter.

The powerful Ice Mage felt like the biggest part of her had died alongside her daughter as she walked home, her head lowered and bitter tears dwelling in her eyes. There was no future left for them. The moment Ultear's body had been destroyed, their future had received the fatal wound.

The sun shone weakly between the clouds as if it wanted to show her a way out of this madness into a better time but hope had died and when there was no hope, there was nothing she could still believe in. The world she lived in now was a strangely hollow one and she wasn't sure if she could live here … where the sound of silence was impossible to bear and where nothing was fair.

She wanted answers, answers she knew that she could never find. Answers were gone from her little part of the world. They were buried in graves, far away from any light.

"Keep going, Ur," she told herself as she walked down the street. "Even when you can't see the street ahead of you … keep going … it's all you can do right now…"

She had lost her daughter … the reason of her existence and still, she couldn't understand why she felt like there was no life left in her … why she felt like an empty shell … why she felt nothing but emptiness and sadness inside her soul.

Life … it meant to carry on even when there were no words to describe how one felt. To be fate's reject was painful but maybe, she would receive something in return for this pain one day. Tears streamed down her face but she knew that there was no point in crying when everything had been wasted.

Her daughter had been the proof that she had lived … that she hadn't spent her years in vain … but now, all was lost but the war inside of her refused to die down. She felt how the magic inside of her tried to comfort her because that was what magic did: if you had lost everything human world had to offer, you would receive a boost of magical power. She didn't want this weak apologise. She wanted her daughter and nothing could numb this pain. She wanted to reach a place where she could work out something … a way to continue even with everything really important stolen from her.

She was shattered and the silence inside her soul worried her more than she would ever admit. She refused to be silenced. She refused to let herself being swallowed by the emptiness inside her heart. She had to keep going. She had to carry on. She had to be strong for her daughter even though she wanted to crumble.

She stood on top of a hill and exhaled slowly. The cold air helped her to focus a little bit. Well, there wasn't much she could focus on but she tried anyway. The silence was the worst thing about her current situation. She missed Ultear's soft voice and she missed to sing to her daughter.

In this white emptiness, all she could hear was the sound of blood rushing through her ears and the slow beat of her broken heart.


	23. Crying on the inside, Cana

**23****rd****: Crying on the inside**

* * *

**Summary**: _No one could see her bitter tears but she still cried – on the inside._

* * *

No one saw her white knuckles as she finally let go of the edge of the table. Everyone was too busy with admiring the Strauss-siblings who had just returned from another S-class job they had taken together. The young card mage gritted her teeth as she downed another bottle of wine. It wasn't enough to numb down the feeling of being too weak though and for a moment, she considered leaving the guildhall to pick up a bottle of stronger stuff.

Her jaw clenched as she fought the urge to cry as she saw Mirajane's smug smirk. The white-haired girl had broken Cana's arm during their fight at the S-class exam and the white cast shone through the long sleeve of Cana's jacket.

The card mage felt another headache coming as she ignored the demon takeover mage and glared at the picture of the whole guild at the wall, wishing for the awesome ability to shot fire from her eyes so that she could erase all of this. But the only thing that burned inside her eyes was her unshed tears – tears her pride didn't allow her to shed. She was sick of crying all the time. She was sick of crying over the failed exam. She was sick of crying over the scar on Laxus' face. She was sick of crying over being unable to tell Gildarts.

She felt sick – like she was dying from all the pain she kept locked up inside of her heart.

Sometimes she wondered what she did to deserve such a life. She had always been a good girl, obeying her mother, doing her homework and practicing her magic. She had wanted to make her mother proud and so she wondered what Cornelia thought of her after she had failed the S-class exam the third time. She tried to calm herself down a little bit. Her mother had failed five times before she had finally passed but Cana felt like she had had enough of this madness. She kept running in circles because she was always thinking too much when she should relax but maybe this was because she had never gotten the chance to say goodbye to her mother before Cornelia had died on a job.

Gray always said that she was too serious when she was sober. Well, she thought that he was too annoying for her to deal with while being sober.

"You drank too much," Erza said with a sigh.

"I didn't," the card mage snapped. "The room isn't spinning yet, alright?"

"Rough day, huh?" Laxus said with crossed arms as he towered behind the redhead.

"Yeah," the brunette said as she grabbed a new bottle.

"We all had shitty days," Gray said. "But you are taking it too far, Cana."

She glared at him. "I think that my life is a little bit too short for wasting my time like this," she snapped as she got up and slammed the table against Laxus' chest. "I have enough of this, don't you get it? I've enough of being always the centre of your worries. I can take care of myself … and I will keep going alone if necessary."

"Tsk," Laxus sighed as he rubbed his chest. "You simply want to be a kid again … you want to go back to a time when everything was easy…"

She shook her head as she closed the buttons of her coat. "I would miss all the awesome fights we have in this guild," she admitted. "But seriously, I mean it when I say that there is nothing left inside of me that anyone could burn."

They never saw through her. They only saw the whiskey and the battles she fought. They knew about her ways to trick everyone into believing that she was fine while she hadn't slept properly in weeks. This was Cana – a well-dressed, pretty little thing who danced and fought alone, belonging to the guild without sharing her secrets with anyone. She laughed and she got drunk along with the others but she never said anything about herself.

No one saw the tears that dwelled behind her bangs as she stormed away and she wanted to keep it this way because she was sick of false pity. She wasn't sure if she would be able to manage with it all over again.

This had been the reason why she hadn't joined her mother's old guild. Those people knew how Cornelia had died – on an S-class job. Most people in Fairy Tail believed that her mother had died because she had been sick. She hadn't lied but she had never corrected this wrong assumption either.

Because she was Cana and Cana did as she pleased … whatever she wanted because this was the only way how she could live without feeling caged. One day, she knew, everything she was running from would catch up with her and she would have to pay for her sins but for now, she was safer than anyone else could be. Hiding her tears and running from herself, drowning her problems in alcohol … this wasn't what she had wanted to be but this was who she had become because she had been unable to deal with the pain inside on her own and she couldn't tolerate being pitied for something no one could change.


	24. So far from home, Mystogan, Porlyusica,

**24****th****: So far from home**

* * *

**Summary**: _To be stranded in a world that wasn't your own was far less amazing as it was supposed to be in books and all they wanted was to find a way out._

* * *

She didn't understand and this scared her more than anything else. This wasn't Edolas … this wasn't where she came from … where she had grown up. This was a foreign country and she felt how her heart trembled inside her chest because for the first time, she was scared. She was scared because she didn't know what to do now.

The only thing she knew, however, was that she couldn't go back and this gave her the will to move forward – it was the only direction she could take anyway so this was alright with her. She didn't belong into this country but there was no other way she could go. She carried an unspoken question inside her mind and she wondered if she would ever hear the answer to this question. She was used to questions because she questioned everything – and she didn't mind if there was no answer to be heard because her questions weren't meant to be answered anyway. It was alright with her.

She leaned against a tree and exhaled slowly. So, this was Earthland after all. It didn't seem to be all that bad in her eyes but then again, she was never one to judge something. The only thing she missed was the sun's warm embrace but this would return to her.

Her sharp eyes searched the area for someone who could tell her where to find a town. If she wasn't totally wrong, she needed a job to rent an apartment.

She would worry about everything else once she had taken care of the most important things and right now, it wasn't the time to freak out. There was no one to be impressed by her temper nearby anyway so she could do this later as well. She stared into the lake in front of her and punched the water because she couldn't stand to look at her reflection now because that wasn't her … the terrified little girl … that wasn't her at all.

"Lost your way, young lady?" a calm voice asked as three young man, one younger than her, one older and one in her age, stepped out of the forest. The oldest one had been the one who had asked though and so she answered equally calm and collected. "You could say this," she said darkly. "Um, would you mind to tell me where I can find the next town?"

"Magnolia?" the pretty guy behind him asked as he stared at his perfect fingernails. She instantly got suspicious of him. No man should have such silky hair and perfect manicured fingernails – well, at least not in Edolas.

"Um, yes," she nodded. "I am looking for a good job."

"What kind of job?" the blond man who seemed to be their leader inquired.

"I'm a medic," she said. "I specialise in magical wounds and stuff like that."

"Makarov, I think we just found our new medical advisor," the third man grinned. "My name is Goldmine, by the way, Miss…"

"Porlyusica," she said calmly. "Nice to meet you."

"That's Makarov," the man said as he mentioned towards the blond man, "and the pretty guy over there, that's Bob. We are members of a guild called Fairy Tail. We … um … specialise in propriety damage and parties. Anything else I should say now, Dreyar?"

"You got two of the three main points right," his friend smiled. "We are also famous for not asking any questions and for showing understanding for any pains, sorrows or scars our nakama carry on their souls." He held out his hand. "You could join us, Porlyusica," he offered. "Even if it's not for a long time, we could all work together."

"I gladly take that offer," she nodded as the man called Bob held out his hand to shake hers. "It might be far better than being on my own."

And so she followed them and became a mage of Fairy Tail, proudly defending the values of her guild while keeping the golden stamp hidden on the inside of her wrist. Being in another dimension, in another world wasn't half as awesome as books made it to be but she managed with homesickness and a completely mad guild tearing on her nerves.

Because in the end, she was still there.

* * *

"…you were gone for a long time, Jellal," the pink-haired woman said as she ushered him into her home in the depths of the forest. "And take off that ridiculous mask when I talk to you, young man," she added as she turned her back at him.

"Yes, madam," he muttered as he obeyed. "Say, what have you been up to lately?"

"This and that," she replied as she poured tea into two cups. "Makarov nearly got himself killed – again. Seriously, that man is the embodiment of recklessness."

"Worried about your husband, Aunt Polly?" he chuckled as he took the tea from her. "Well, I've been fixing a few anima lately. I … I don't like this – at all."

She glared at him as she put down her own cup. "I was wondering when you were going to show up the next time, Jellal," she stated as she leaned back in her chair. "You have been busy, I understand that … but sometimes, you should consider that Fairy Tail is your home – just as much as it is mine."

He sighed deeply. "I keep saving Earthland and you are still nagging me about not making any friends, Aunty Polly?" he asked with a sigh. "I want you to know that I do have friends."

"I am not talking about the Knighwalker-girl you haven't seen in years," she stated.

"Er-chan? Well, she is my best friend," he admitted. "But I do have other friends. I am not like you … hiding in a forest because that's what reminds you of Edolas."

"I warn you, Jellal," she said dangerously softly. "I am perfectly fine and I do not have any issues with anything. I think that you should be a little bit more respectful towards an old lady like me … tsk…"

"I might consider being all respectful and nice with you when you get really old," he said as he rested his chin on the table. "And right now, you are still a little bit too tough for me to be all respectful, Aunt Polly. Anyway … when I find a way back to Edolas … will you return with me? Or will you stay here with Makarov, Ivan and Laxus?"

She shook her head. "Edolas … it's no longer my home, you see?" she asked tiredly. "I have been here far longer than you, Jellal … and this crazy world became my new home. Edolas … the idea of going back isn't all that appealing to me anymore. I would miss them all … even Bob and Goldmine – and I argued quite a lot with them when they left the guild."

He stared down at the smooth surface in front of him. He understood her feelings because he knew that he would feel the same way if it weren't for his only true friend, the red-haired minx he had been forced to leave back in Edolas: Erza Knightwalker. He cared deeply for her and the idea that he wouldn't be able to see her again hurt him greatly. He had to go back one day because he belonged to Edolas – and his counterpart was _there_, dangerously close to Fairy Tail and therefore all his nakama.

"I am worried for you," the pink-haired woman stated darkly. "The last time you stayed here because you were too hurt to leave, you spoke about 'Er-chan' all night long. I was tempted to wake you up so that you would stop that."

The prince of Edolas blushed faintly. "She was my only real friend when I was a child," he said. "And when I see Erza Scarlet … I always see Er-chan. That makes it harder for me to forget about her … and on the other hand, I really don't want to forget about her…"

That was the madness about being stranded in another world: too many memories seemed to fade away and all he could do was to scream inside his soul as he tried to hold them somehow.

* * *

She smiled. She felt like crying but she smiled because it was the only thing she could do in her current situation. And as long as she smiled, no one could be able to see the pain inside her heart. She had always been good at hiding things behind a smile because this was where no one would look for a secret.

She had copied this method from Cana who always smiled and partied like everyone else in the guild while she was breaking apart with every passing day. But it was impossible to smile away the pain inside her soul. She wanted to go home but this was impossible. She wanted to run but she never knew where she could run to.

She was caged in her own counterpart's life and she considered herself lucky that her personality allowed her to make new friends and to adapt to this new situation. But she still walked alone – even when she was with her guild. She walked with her head held high as she felt like she was crossing ice cold wasteland where no life could exist for more than a few minutes. Her soul had already been frozen – and this wasn't what she usually was. This was the wrong kind of place for her to be because it was – above all – the wrong kind of place to be thinking of Earthland or to be thinking of her siblings.

She was supposed to be Edolas' cheerful and carefree Lisanna but she wasn't sure how long she could act this role. This was the wrong time and place for her to exist. She should be in Earthland, leading her sheltered life with her siblings and her friends.

Usually, a lie was nothing but a small crime but to trick her Edolas-'siblings' into believing that their sister was still alive was more than just a little lie – and even worse, she had no excuse because she could have told them so many times.

She shook her head. No, it wasn't alright to lie to them but she couldn't do anything else because whoever had written great novels about people who were stuck in a foreign world had been a liar. It wasn't an adventure and it wasn't all that fascinating. It was a sad and painful situation because there was no escape for her or anyone else.


	25. Dragon's roar, Fairy Tail dragon slayers

**25****th****: A dragon's roar**

* * *

**Summary**: _The sound of a dragon's roar scared most people but to them, it meant just one thing: 'home'._

* * *

Wendy was pretty young when she joined Fairy Tail after Cait Shelter had played out to be nothing than an illusion that had been supposed to make her happy. Therefore, she was easily scared by many things – even though Charle tried to hide this. Natsu and Gajeel noticed it anyway and seeing that Gajeel had a soft spot for blue-haired women (and such who would be a woman one day), he tried to be nice to her. He quickly realised that she missed her dragon – hell, they all did.

Their dragons had been their families and even though Metalicana had been a bastard sometimes, he had been Gajeel's father just like Grandine had been Wendy's mother. And so, the dragon slayers formed the craziest kind of family anyone had ever seen – even surpassing the strange dynamics of the Dreyar-family. Wendy was like their little sister and both Natsu and Gajeel would do anything to protect her – but they would never consider each other as brothers.

They had merely gotten adjusted to their current situation when Laxus had returned and seeing that he was also kind of a dragon slayer, he had to be integrated into their already messed-up system and became Wendy's distanced 'cosin'.

This covered all the problems they had had for a few weeks before a new problem appeared: Gajeel started to date Levy and so the family grew once more. Levy became the title of an aunt and while she claimed that it made her feel old, she was visible flattered. Lucy was included the same way and everything was fine once more – at least until Wendy started to blush whenever Romeo was around and Gajeel who wasn't as dense as Natsu realised quickly that this meant that their family was growing once more. The problem about Romeo was that he was like Natsu's little brother and so Natsu couldn't be Wendy's brother anymore and became an uncle while Lucy was promoted to be a sister. While they were at it, they also included Juvia into their family seeing that she was the closest Gajeel had to a responsible older sister though the water mage was younger. When Cana joined the family as she started to date Laxus, it was easy since Laxus had never been closely 'related' to another member of their family.

Sting and Rogue never got included into the family – probably because Gajeel who viewed himself as he head of family had a little problem with the Shadow Dragon Slayer who had dared to commit two sins: insulting Gajeel's cat, Patherlily, and hitting on Levy – well, Gajeel considered asking her after the way as a _blatant_ attempt to take the blue-haired Solid Script Mage away from him and he had reacted according to this – and even Rogue didn't have the reflexes to avoid Gajeel's wrath and had spent the following weeks in the hospital, unable to eat solid food. This had kinda ruined the interest the both former Dragon Slayers of Sabertooth had had in joining the crazy family Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayers had formed to give themselves a home.

It was strange how the members of this family reacted when they heard a dragon's roar. For Wendy, it meant that her brothers were fine. For Gajeel, it meant that either Laxus or Natsu were showing off and that he had to remind them of their rightful places. For Natsu, it meant that the stupid iron brain was probably still standing and fighting while Wendy was probably healing someone who had gotten hurt. To Laxus, it meant that his only true rivals in his guild were sound and safe – well, as safe as anyone could be on a battlefield. For Levy, it meant that Gajeel was alright and this always relieved her. For Lucy, this meant that Natsu was probably nearby; fighting recklessly as always and she would smile. For Romeo, this meant that Wendy and Natsu-nii were both fine and that was all the young Fire Mage had to know. For Juvia, this meant that she hadn't to worry about Gajeel-kun because as long as she could hear his roar, he was alright. For Cana, it meant that Laxus had reached the battlefield and this always gave her new strength.

Yes, their enemies were frightened at the sound but to them, it meant 'home'.


	26. Snow, Eve

**26****th****: Snow**

* * *

**Summary**: _It was winter when he joined Blue Pegasus._

* * *

_For_ **Shadow-chan** _– for being such a nice reviewer and such an amazing writer._

* * *

He was a snow mage. He shouldn't feel cold just because it was winter and he wasn't wearing enough. He should be immune to the cold but he wasn't. He walked through the cold and anonymous streets of an unknown city and wondered once more why fate had been that unkind with him. He would have been a great Rune Knight, he was sure of that, but this dream was over now and he had to find a new way for himself.

Lahar-san, his commander, had told him that he should join a guild but he wasn't sure which guild would be the right one for him. Fairy Tail was too noisy and Lamia Scale's guild master scared him. Mermaid Heel was no option for obvious reasons and he disliked Sabertooth's attitude while he wasn't 'wild' enough for Quatro Cerberus. So there was only one guild left for him to join – if they would accept him: Blue Pegasus.

Though their reputation partially came from the fact that mostly beautiful and fashionable men and women were members of this legal guild, it also was a powerful guild – powerful enough to be included in the alliance of Guilds which had been tasked to destroy the powerful Dark Guild Crimson Blade which had been too powerful for the council to deal with – and only second place to Grimoire Heart. And as the young, blonde mage looked into a mirror, he decided that he might fit in. He wasn't unattractive at all and he wasn't powerless. He had been able to hold his own against most of the other Rune Knights-in-training when he had still tried to become an important member of the security of his country.

But this didn't matter now as he turned around as a troupe of Rune Knights passed him. This could have been his life but someone up there had decided that this wasn't his fate and so all the years he had spent in training had been in vain. Above him, the dark sky with the storm-driven, huge clouds seemed to be endless and maybe, he really hadn't been meant to be a Rune Knight. Maybe this had been a desperate attempt to lie to himself about his true dream because as a little boy, he had dreamed of being the member of a popular guild but when he had been older, he had considered this dream as selfish because his own fame wouldn't help anyone else.

But now, with the other option gone, he had to walk this path. He looked up to the starless night once more, trying to find reason in the black nothingness but failed to see anything. He had to jump into the ice cold water and to hope that it would be the right thing to do. He had come a long way from where he had started as a little child. It had been a way of mistakes and wrong decisions. But this was alright because he was still alive and because he would be able to correct his wrong decisions.

He reached the train station and took the next train to the town where Blue Pegasus resided. He hadn't lost his hope yet and maybe, he could get it right this time. Maybe this would be the better idea – and even if it wasn't, he'd never let go of this idea.

Satisfied with his plan, he rested his head against the cold window and fell asleep.

* * *

The sleepy little town radiated a cosy feeling and it was more than easy to find the guild building of Blue Pegasus. The young mage straightened and knocked against the heavy door before he opened – just to be face to face with Karen Lilica who snorted at him before she brushed past him with n disgusted expression on her face.

"I am sorry about that," a tanned man shrugged as he appeared next to him. "Queen Bitch has been mad at Hibiki because he was kind to that celestial spirit of hers. Now she takes that out on anyone who makes the mistake of existing. I'm Ren Akasuki by the way."

"Eve Tearm," the younger mage said with a slight bow of his head. "Nice to meet you."

"Hey there, young man," the more than just eccentric guild master of Blue Pegasus exclaimed as he spotted Eve on the door and phased through the bar counter. "I never saw your pretty face around you … but since you came, you will have to stay, I fear…"

"The name is Eve Tearm," the young blond said as he bowed properly. "It's an honour to meet you, Master Bob."

"I like you, young friend," the master said as he patted his head. "But I guess that you just came in to find shelter because of this cold, am I correct? My, my, Makarov always gets the pretty mages. I really wished that I'd manage to lure at least Erza Scarlet or Lisanna Strauss away from him … too bad that they are so loyal to this guild…" he sighed.

"I actually came because I wanted to ask you if Blue Pegasus has place for me," Eve stated.

"Oh really?" Bob grabbed his upper arm and dragged him over to the bar. "C'mon, young friend. Ren-chan, be a darling and give us a glass or two of that whiskey Serena-done sent me for my second birthday this year … that woman has a good taste, I give her that. And if Fairy Tail's Miss Alberona is allowed to drink, Mr Tearm will be allowed to drink as well."

"I'm a former Rune Knight – we're all used to alcohol," Eve admitted as he saw Ren's hesitating gaze. "Master Bob … does this mean that I am allowed to join Blue Pegasus?"

"With that pretty face?" a taller blond man smirked. "We've been waiting for someone just like you to complete the Trimens. The name is Hibiki Laytes. Nice to meet you, Eve-san."

"Tsk, it's not like I wanted to be a member of Trimens…" Ren muttered as he put down the glasses and glared at the blond Blue Pegasus mage. "That was your stupid idea…"

Hibiki smiled smugly as he bent down to Eve. "Ren is a Tsundere but you'll get used to it," he stated calmly. "Anyway, welcome in Blue Pegasus."

Eve smiled happily and as the snow fell in front of the window, he decided that maybe, just maybe, it had been his fate to join Blue Pegasus.

* * *

**AN**: _Usually, I'm no friend of Author's Notes where the writer complains about his/her personal situation but now, I am kinda forced to do so myself. My grandmother is very ill, cancer. It is not curable anymore. The situation drags me down. That influences my writing in a bad way but on the other hand, my gran said that I should keep writing to distract myself a little bit. I am currently working on a novel for her to read. So the consequences from my current private situation are the following: less frequent updates and ugly, slightly rushed chapters._

_And now, so that everyone can prove that he/she really read this Author's Note … post the following phrase into the review box [please forgive me for stealing this idea from you, Shadow-chan, but I found no better quote]: __**Even if I can't see you … no matter how far away you may be … I will always be watching you.**_


	27. Scars, Fairy Tail guild

**27****th****: Scars**

* * *

**Summary**: _It was like Mirajane had said: Every mage of Fairy Tail had something to carry around. A wound … a pain … or a sorrow_

* * *

In the eyes of most people, Levy McGarden was a cheerful young woman. She wasn't the most powerful mage of her guild but she was one of the most popular members nonetheless. People adored her because she always seemed to smile and to be happy. She was a kind young woman but Master Makarov and Mirajane Strauss both knew of the dark abyss behind Levy's bright smile.

They knew the story about the scar on her right calf. The story about the calf was one which was quickly told: Levy had been on a mission with Erza when a curse had forced the red-haired exquip mage to turn against her nakama. Levy hadn't had a chance to avoid the attack but before Erza could do more damage, she had awoken from her trance-like state. She hadn't been able to remember what had happened and Levy had never told her.

* * *

Elfman Strauss and his sisters had joined Fairy Tail instead of Lamia Scale where their mother had been an S-class mage for one reason and one reason only: as Lamia Scale mages, they would have been remembered of their mother's glorious past as a mage all the time and this would have made it even more complicated to move on after their mother's death. Katharina Strauss had been nothing but a weak reflection of her former self for more than three years before death had finally relieved her from her suffering.

* * *

Bisca Moulin hadn't had a scar or a sorrow by the time she had joined Fairy Tail. The first few years were more or less peaceful and she greatly enjoyed being part of this guild. Her sorrow, her invisible scar was created when the Tenrou-team didn't return from the Holy Island of the guild and the less popular members were left alone. Bisca found herself torn apart between her happiness about being a couple with Alzack after hoping for this to happen basically since she had joined Fairy Tail and her desperation about the constant downfall of Fairy Tail's once great reputation.

* * *

Fried Justine was a young man from a good family. His parents had nearly thrown a fit when he had declared that he wanted to join Fairy Tail but in the end, they had understood his wish to meet other strong mages and to grow further and further. This made him different from most of his nakama. Most other parents had died or they had disowned their children once they had joined the 'guild of outlaws'. Therefore, Fried's scar was different from his nakama's hidden sorrows and pains. His scar was the guilt about a childhood friend's and hero's death which he hadn't been able to prevent because he hadn't been able to do anything useful when the monster had attacked. His aim was to grow and to protect those he admired and looked up to.

* * *

Juvia Lockser wore her scar far more openly than most people did but no one saw her it. No one saw the desperate scream of a hurt soul because she seemed to be too strong. She had never seemed to slow down or to show a momentarily weakness but those who knew her, those who saw further than just her outer appearance knew that she felt abandoned and lonely once she allowed herself to reflect on her current situation. Gajeel knew this far better than his former Phantom Lord Colleague and current Fairy Tail nakama believed. He knew that she'd forever stand in the rain unless someone would take her hand.

* * *

Makarov Dreyar saw the pain and the struggling of his so-called children and sometimes he wished that he was able to take the weight from their shoulders. When Mirajane and Elfman nearly broke under the guilt about their sister's death, he wanted to hug them both but he found himself unable to do so. When he found Gildarts in the forest hut of Porlyusica who said that he had drunk too much, a short look at the S-class mage's face revealed that Gildarts had found out that his wife had died.

And the master remembered that he hadn't been any different. He had joined Fairy Tail after his parents' death when it had seemed to be the smartest thing to do. Together with Porlyusica, Bob, Rob, Goldmine and Yajima, he had struggled just like everyone else and he had learned that going through this pain was the only one to grow on this. There was no sense in lending someone a hand to help him through this pain. It was a long and hard way but it had to be gone alone.


	28. Shades of green, Bisca, Evergreen

**28****th****: Shades of green**

* * *

**Summary**: _The green-haired gunner was the last one she had to apologise to but somehow, Evergreen feared that this might be the hardest. And hell, she was right._

* * *

Evergreen walked through Magnolia as she stared as the ground. After she had apologised to Elfman for her behaviour during the Battle of Fairy Tail, she had decided that Bisca Moulin, the gunner, would be the next she would apologise to. This might be even harder because Bisca had always been kind and friendly to her when she had just returned from another exhausting job. They hadn't really been friends because Evergreen didn't do friendship (Elfman was the only exception) but the green-haired woman had been the closest the socially awkward Evergreen had ever had to a friend.

_'Oh, hey there, Ever! You made it back just in time for the beauty contest – you are entering, aren't you?'_ Bisca had smiled brightly as she had turned around before she had looked worried. _'Hey – are you okay? You look a little bit sha-'_

She hadn't been able to finish her sentence because Evergreen had petrified her. The brunette mage sighed deeply as she grabbed another scarf from a basket before she dropped it again. She was in no mood to go shopping – for the first time in a long, long time.

"I am foolish," she muttered as she grabbed a box of tea from a shelf and bought it. "I am cowardly running away instead of facing the truth … I am so freaking dumb…"

She raised her head once more and took the tea before she headed back to Fairy Hills where she slowly made her way to Bisca's room. She knocked after one last moment of hesitation and wanted to leave since she didn't hear anything. But suddenly, she heard a loud noise and footsteps before the door was opened and the green-haired woman appeared. Bisca didn't look healthy, Evergreen decided as she stared at the pale woman.

"Hello, Evergreen," the younger mage said slowly.

"I came to apologise," the brunette replied. "Look, I am really, really sorry, Bisca, and-"

"Come in. We don't have to discuss this on the hallway," Bisca interrupted her as she stepped aside. "Sorry for the mess but I just woke up, you know?"

"I am sorry for waking you up while you are recovering," Evergreen muttered as she entered the room. "I, um, brought tea for you because you are probably still recovering from the effect of the life link magic…"

"Thanks," the green-haired mage smiled. "I could make a cup or two while you talk … Ever. It has been too long since we drunk tea together."

The self-proclaimed queen of fairies felt a wave of relief washing over her as she heard the nickname. "I was under orders. That's no excuse, merely an explanation," she said. "It was nothing personal – at least not on my behalf. My order was to petrify Erza and Mira – along with any other contestant. I am truly sorry that I hurt you, Bisca. I kept hurting people I don't want to hurt during the Battle of Fairy Tail … first you and later on Elfman. I am really, really sorry about this, Bisca."

"Calm down, Ever," the gunner sighed. "If you hadn't petrified me, I'd been forced to hurt my nakama … don't call me selfish now but … I am not sure how I would have dealt with this. I might have ended up hurting Alzack." A faint blush covered her cheeks. "The Battle is over. Laxus lost and Fairy Tail won. Everything is fine again. I am recovering quite well – unlike Cana." She mentioned towards the floor where the weeping sounds came from. "I've the room above Juvia's, so yeah, I hear her crying. I could hardly sleep this night."

"Laxus will return once he figured out what he really wants in this life."

"What about you?" Bisca asked as she put down two steaming cups of tea. "Will the Thundergod Tribe run for it as well? Or will you stay and deal with everything here in Magnolia? You have to make a decision, this time, Evergreen…"

"First of all, Fried has scored a row of dates with Mira, so we won't leave anytime soon," the brunette said as she rolled her eyes. "I seriously love my team but sometimes, they annoy me a little bit, you see? I don't know what I want to do. I could go on jobs alone-"

"You have been avoiding contact with other people for far too long, Ever," Bisca said. "I know that you claim to be socially awkward but … give them a chance, alright? Not everyone is like your parents and especially Fairy Tail is far more tolerant than most people."

They seemed to be so different and most people couldn't understand why they got along. Bisca was so full of life and of hope while Evergreen seemed to be slightly depressed and meaner members of the guild claimed that she had suicidal thoughts for various reasons. They seemed to be like day and night but the people who saw it this way were wrong. They were both dawn. Bisca was pale green, the colour of spring. Evergreen was a deep emerald green, the colour the trees had in late summer, shortly before the leaves got yellow in autumn. Both of them were shades of green – this made them similar.


	29. Pride, Elfgreen

**29****th****: Pride**

* * *

**Summary**: _Pride meant arrogance and being overconfident and hell, she was both but he found out that he didn't care about this._

* * *

It was common knowledge inside the whole guild that Evergreen was incredibly proud – _too proud for her own __**damn**__ good_, as Porlyusica had said after the Thundergod Tribe had been forced to hand their sole female member over to her after Evergreen had overworked herself during a job they had done. Evergreen couldn't tolerate being the second best – at anything and so she had tried to outmatch both her teammates which had failed miserably. And so she was currently recovering from her injuries that had led to her 'hospitalisation' in her room up at Fairy Hills where a constantly worried Lisanna was basically camping in front of her door while her older sister was temporarily filling in for Evergreen on her team because the jobs they usually took required three mages.

"I hate this," the brunette muttered as she glared at the ceiling. "How long did Laxus' granny tell me to rest completely, Lisanna?"

"At least another week," the takeover mage replied as she put down a cup of tea. "Look, I know that you aren't happy about being confined to your bed but you really need to recover, Evergreen. You overworked yourself … Porlyusica-san said that you might end up damaging your body permanently when you would return to early."

"But I feel pretty good and I am dying from boredom," she complained.

"The solution for the boredom is close," Erza announced from the doorway before she pushed Elfman into the room. "I know that usually, men aren't allowed up here but with Laxus sneaking around Cana's door seven days a week and Gajeel serenading Levy all night long, I allowed Elfman to come for a visit. Lisanna, Lucy and I were going shopping. Would you like to join us?"

"Um, of course," the white-haired girl said with a smirk. "Sorry, Evergreen, I will be in town for a few hours but I will be back with a few new books and candy later on."

Meanwhile, Elfman showed more interest in the floor than Evergreen could appreciate so she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Elfman, sit down," she ordered harshly. "I am getting a sore neck from staring up to you all the time."

"Happy Birthday, by the way," he replied before he obeyed. "I was on my way to get you flowers since you said that you like them when Erza caught me and dragged me here."

"Y…you haven't forgotten about my birthday?" she asked as she forced herself to stay calm. It was no big deal that Elfman was the only freaking member of the whole damned guild who was capable to remembering the most important date of the year – her birthday. In her – completely unbiased - opinion, this was more important than the S-class exam.

"Of course not," he shrugged. "When we were still partners, you once said that you were going to celebrate your next birthday with the whole guild – well, the injury made that impossible, huh? And even Fried and the others are gone…"

"Fried is too busy celebrating that he scored a date with your sister to remember that it's my birthday today," she said darkly as she tried to sit up which failed.

"Wait," he said as he helped her to sit up and to lean against the headboard. "It's better like this, isn't it? And wait a moment – Mira-nee is dating Fried?"

"Well, I guess that I wasn't supposed to say that," she grinned devilishly as she winked at him. "Yes, they are dating – that's the only reason why he asked her to replace me."

"It hurts, doesn't it? To be injured and to be confined to your bed while everyone else is able to roam around, taking jobs and going shopping…" he muttered. "And that you were temporarily replaced probably hurt your pride pretty bad, huh?"

"My pride … Erza and the others all said that it was because of my pride that I ended up here in first place…" she muttered. "Look, I don't feel all that bad right now. Sure, I know that I got into this situation because I overestimated myself but … I am okay with this."

"You aren't," he disagreed. "You are putting up a brave façade while you want to scream and to hit everyone who gets too close to you but you can't and so you try to act stoically."

"When did you start to understand people?" she asked. "And when did you stop to yell 'man' in every second sentence you utter?"

He sighed. "I am not good with people's emotions – but I am good with Ever's emotions © and so I can figure out how you are feeling quite well," he said. "And I guess that you wouldn't appreciate if I would scream 'man' all the time because you have a headache."

She sighed deeply before she nodded and suddenly, her calm and collected façade fell apart. "It hurts so badly," she whispered. "The shattered pride … being replaced … that everyone but you forgot about my birthday … I hate this … I _fucking_ hate it…"

"Tsk, since when did you start to curse, Ever?" he asked amused. "You don't seem to be used to this – even Lisanna-nee can do better."

"Lisanna? C'mon, you got to be kidding me."

"She learned them all from Mira … and you remember how my sister used to be."

"I remember and I shudder inside – that was the only good consequence of Lisanna's so-called death: Mira stopped terrorised everyone who made the mistake of existing."

For a moment, the Beast Takeover mage tried to resist the urge to chuckle but when he snorted because he couldn't suppress the urge completely, he gave in. "She wasn't all that bad," he tried to defend his sister. "Sure, she was strong-willed and a bully but … what am I even saying – of course you are right," he admitted. "But you were no angel either … you were proud and kept doing whatever you wanted without caring for anyone else."

"Thinking back, I guess that you and Cana were the only children who weren't completely psychopathic," she grinned. "Gray always had that annoying stripping habit, Natsu accidentally set things aflame and Lisanna helped him to pull pranks on Macao and anyone else who didn't give her cookies – even Levy got mad when someone dirtied her books and Erza … don't get me even started on her."

And while Evergreen had good chances to be chosen as the proudest woman of the guild, Elfman was one of the humblest men. He was kind and it was rare for him to be harsh. He was 'a huge, cuddly teddy bear' as Lisanna had said once and supposedly, he disliked people who were too high and mighty because they had a little power. (Those with the ability to think properly had easily found out that this wasn't correct because in her youth, Mirajane had been the proudest mage of the guild and Elfman had usually gotten along with her.) He was used to headstrong women – if he wasn't, he would be in the wrong guild anyway – and so he could deal with Evergreen's antics. And so he held her hand as he watched how the slightly arrogant expression on her face faded away as she fell asleep.

She was arrogant and proud but he found out that he didn't care a bit because though they were so different, they somehow fitted together and he was happy that she was there because her attention-demanding attitude often kept him from thinking about things he better didn't think about all the time – like his sister and Fried **dating**.


	30. Greed, LyonUltear

**30****th****: Greed**

* * *

**Summary**: _He was greedy. He wanted everything he believed to deserve but above all, he wanted love. She was guilty of the same crime._

* * *

She knew what he wanted: power, fame, glory and (perhaps more than anything else) to surpass her mother. She knew that he wanted those things because he believed that he deserved them more than anyone else did. In a way, she also knew that this was the reason why he courted her so feverishly. He wasn't all that interested in her. He was trying to claim any little reminder her mother had left in this world and hell, she happened to be her mother's splitting image with the main difference that her hair was a little bit longer.

She knew that he nearly used her and sometimes she wondered why she allowed herself to be used in such a petty fashion but when she noticed how her heart beat faster when he was around and how she sometimes even blushed, she knew why: she was tired of being lonely. She wanted to feel loved and even though she knew that this probably wasn't the way she wanted to be loved, she rather pretended that he meant what he said.

* * *

The first thing he had to realise was that she wasn't her mother. She wasn't Ur. She was Ur's beloved daughter – and since it was his goal to surpass Ur at any field, well, it was only fitting that he would love Ultear even more than Ur had. It was an ambitious goal and the change of succeeding was very small but he was trying. And so he tried to make her feel like she was the greatest person on this planet. (They both knew that she wasn't but he was still pretending.) Sometimes he wondered why she went for the second best, for him instead of Gray who had somehow managed to snatch away Juvia from him but then again, he wasn't sure if she really wanted to know the answer to this question – because deep down he knew that she liked Gray more than she liked him.

He knew that she wanted to be accepted as what she was and so he accepted her with all her strengths and faults, in her grumpy moods and when she found nearly everything around her hilarious. He sparred with her whenever she wanted to and he danced with her when Erza and Jellal finally got married.

But he still felt like he was the replacement for someone else, someone she couldn't have.

* * *

She knew who he really loved. She knew that all the kisses he gave her were meant for someone else, for a married woman with a child on the way. The kisses he gave her were the kisses he couldn't give Juvia. She was hurt, deep inside, but she was too desperate for any shred of love she could get to be truly bothered. She knew that he imagined touching Juvia when he touched her and she knew that he desired lively water instead of bitter ice. But ice was all she could give him – this was her blood and her heritage and she was proud of this. She knew that he wanted the lively, easily-flattered water mage who was so accepting because she had never been accepted but all Ultear had to give was magical prowess, highly advanced ice magic and the fact that she was his teacher's daughter. She knew that he wanted a third person self reference together with a confession but as long as she lived, she would never lower herself to this. She was too proud to copy Juvia in this aspect and furthermore, she refused to take this little shred of individuality the water mage had away from her because this would mean that she would compete openly against the blue-haired mage and this was the last thing she truly wanted.

And so she stayed silent and kept her confession locked up inside her frozen heart.

* * *

He watched in envy how she watched Gray and the pregnant Juvia with that stupid wistful expression on her face and he hated the expression of bitterness when they visited Gray, Juvia and baby Uriel. She failed pathetically to look happy for them and while she could trick Juvia and even an overly excited Meredy, she couldn't fool him as well. She desired an own child, a little baby she could cry her tear for, a baby that would be the proof of her life – and to see that Juvia had gotten not only the man but also the baby hurt her deep inside.

He held her after their visit for a long time, unable to say anything because in a way, Gray had taken the three of them away from him. First he had been Ur's favourite student, secondly he had managed to impress Juvia when they first met and lastly, he had even caught Ultear's heart but the only thing he did with it was crushing it slowly and causing her pain.

She didn't deserve this, he knew it. She didn't deserve anything of this current situation. She neither deserved the heartbreak Gray caused her nor the unspoken confession he carried in his heart. And while he couldn't do much about the first one, he would at least ease her pain about the second one.

The day little Uriel Fullbuster was presented to Fairy Tail and other friends was the day Lyon Vastia, S-class mage of Lamia Scale, made the decision to confess to his girlfriend of one year, eight months and twenty-three days.

* * *

She was relaxing close to the bar from where she watched Meredy flirting with Blue Pegasus' Eve while she sipped her own drink. She was on the best way to getting drunk when she saw Lyon appearing in front of her. He took her hand which was a little bit awkward because usually, he wasn't keen on touching her in public and dragged her out into the garden of Fairy Tail's guild building. She inwardly braced herself for what would come now. He had said that they had to talk and she knew what this meant – he was breaking up with her. It was strange how calm she felt as she waited for the heartbreak to arrive. She expected it to strike her like a lightening bolt – hell, Laxus Dreyar was close by after all.

But he said something entirely different. He didn't break up with her. He took both her hands and babbled the craziest things about knowing that she'd rather be with Gray than with him and that he understood and _blah, blah, blah_ and that he wanted to outmatch her mother's love for her by loving her more than Ur had been able to love her.

* * *

The expression on her face was priceless as he spoke. It changed from complete and utter disbelief from confusion to a blush that faded into pure and honest joy. When he had finally gotten rid of the words he had longed to say since the moment he had spotted her on the first wedding they had both visited (Elfman Strauss and Evergreen) and wanted to leave because he didn't want to face her rejection of his honest feelings, she hugged him from behind, called him a fool and went into rambling how she had believed that he still loved Juvia of all people before she somehow managed to confess that she loved him too.

They were far more alike than he had originally assumed, he concluded as he hugged her tightly once more. Both of them were greedy and what they wanted the most was each other's love – something they had both had all along without knowing it.


	31. Lust, Jerza

**31****st****: Lust**

* * *

**Summary**: _They desired each other, they wanted to be with no one but the other one but fate was hardly kind and lust was a sin._

* * *

Lust … it was the desire that haunted her dreams and daydreams because she knew just too that it was forbidden for her to long for him. In a way, this was love – but love turned dark and twisted. And she also knew that lust would ever be the seducer's undoing. And so she tried to resist which was hard because some fool back at the guild had sent her along with Natsu, Gray, Juvia and Happy to an exclusive guild meeting – and because of some dumbass, she was forced to share a room with the one she desired.

And even though there were many miles between them and even though she hadn't such a good hearing, she could hear Levy laughing about her because the blue-haired mage had predicted that something like this would happen with Ultear planning everything.

And so she sat on a couch with her arms crossed, ignoring her roommate and actually listening to Juvia's rant about how Lucy was snoring and about how both Virgo and Leo had barged in eight times last evening.

"…and so Juvia told her to get her spirits to behave or Juvia would trade rooms with Natsu-san because he might not feel that bothered by this as Juvia does," the water mage finally ended her rant. "Juvia likes Lucy-san but she also likes her sleep – and she likes her sleep more than she likes Lucy-san's annoying spirits."

"Did I hear right?" Gray asked as he appeared basically out of nowhere. "You want to get rid of your roommate? I want to get rid of my roommate as well because his cat kept walking all over my face this night. Happy sleepwalks or so it seems."

Erza's jaw dropped. First of all: this was the first time anyone mentioned that Happy was sleepwalking and they had been sharing rooms for a very long time. And secondly: Gray had shown a first sign of flirting with Juvia as well. Up to now, this had been a pretty one-sided issue and now, something actually happened between them. This meant progress.

"Of course we can share a room, Gray-sama," Juvia muttered weakly before she fainted.

"Oi, Fullbuster, pick your girlfriend up from the floor before I trip over her," Ultear grinned as she dragged Jellal in her death grip over to their table. "Look there, Jellal-kun," she said amused as her eyes gleamed devilishly. "Erza-san is still here as well – and you will keep sharing a room with her, am I understood?"

And suddenly Erza decided that even Mira wasn't a match for Ultear when it came to scaring other people into compliance. Ultear had her guild under her control and while they were more like a family with a mother, an uncle and a daughter, she was the one who pulled the strings in the background.

"O-of course, Ultear," Jellal muttered as he showed greatest interest into the floor.

"Oh dear," the dark-haired woman said before she shook him. "Grab Erza and go for a walk before I throw the both of you out of this inn – your sexual tension is ruining my mood." She threw an equally annoyed glare at Gray and Juvia. "And you two please go on and make out in the shadow of the stairs as well … hell, if I had known that this is the chemistry between you Fairy Tail mages, I wouldn't have invited you!"

"Chill out, Ultear, and take a drink," Lyon said as he handed her a drink before he raised an eyebrow at Gray. "So, you and Juvia, huh? Took you quite a time to make a move on her…"

Needless to say, the spot around the both older ice mages was vacated seconds later.

* * *

The walk was silent and awkward and she hated every moment of it but when the alternative was to face Ultear's wrath, she rather took a long, long walk with the person she had been trying ignore as much as possible for the last two days.

"Am I snoring as well?" he suddenly asked and she froze.

"What do you mean?" she asked as she looked at him over her shoulder.

"Juvia-san ranted for hours about how Lucy snored all night long and well, Gray complained about Happy walking over his face," the blue-haired man sighed. "And so I was wondering if I have bad habits like this as well. Meredy said that Ultear sneaked out around midnight and Jura-kun said that Lyon was missing too…"

"If you had snored, I would have thrown something at you," she replied. That's what confuses me a little bit – we never had such problems before."

He nodded slowly as he wondered where they came from and where they would go from this place. The past few hours, the most prominent thought on his mind had been _'damn you, Erza, for wearing those clothes'_ because for once, she wore a knee-long blue dress that showed of quite a bit of her assets. A part of him wanted to know if she was torturing him or if she only wanted to get a tan and enjoy the breeze from the ocean which was Ultear's excuse for prancing around in short clothes. He longed to know quite a few things and sometimes, there were strange ideas inside his mind – and feelings which he didn't understand. He disliked things he couldn't understand. He had come to terms with the fact that he loved Erza but now, he was confused all over again.

"How's your fiancée, by the way?" she asked with a thin smile.

He froze before he turned his head in her direction. "We both know that there isn't a fiancée," he sighed. "You knew that I've been lying the moment I said it. I am still kind of surprised that you didn't call me on it on that beach."

"Maybe I was shocked that I nearly kissed a man who had a fiancée," she said. "I won't deny that my first thought was _'is it Ultear or is it Meredy?'_ before I realised the lie."

"Just for the record – I am not cool enough for Ultear as she always reminds me and I am a little bit too old for Meredy. And to stay on topic, I prefer redheads any day."

"Are you flirting with me, Jellal?" she asked as she stopped. "Are you flirting with me so that you can break my heart all over again?"

"I never intended to break your heart and … if it worked out like this, I am very sorry," he replied with a sigh. "And yes, I am flirting with you."

* * *

Little did they know that Meredy was watching them from afar with Hibiki and Eve right behind her. "I swear, if he doesn't confess like now, I will use a Sense Link and eat hot peppers again," the pink-haired woman threatened. "This guy is such a hopeless case…"

"It might be fair of you to warn him before you take those measures," Hibiki remarked. He was deadly afraid of flirting with the younger woman for two reasons: a) she was Eve's girlfriend and b) her foster mother was one scary lady.

* * *

"I wanted to thank you for the support during the Grand Magic Games," Erza said as she tried to ignore that he had just admitted that he was flirting with her.

"Nah, don't mention it," he said as he sighed inwardly at her stubbornness. "I wasn't much of a help anyway. I lost against Jura-kun and had to hide when the council member was there. And I nearly got caught. You should have recruited Gildarts for that job, not me."

"Gildarts was on a job to finish of the monster that killed his late wife … and knowing him, he might have ended up ruining the whole town," Erza shrugged. "Ah well, there is no use in dwelling over the past anyway, is there?"

"Yes," he said as he stared at the ocean. "Did you … did you already hear the news?"

"Don't tell me that they increased the bounty on you and the others _again_," she sighed.

"Nothing like this," he sighed. "I heard from Ultear who heard from Jura-kun that the council considers making us a legal guild and stopping the chase after us – this would mean that Meredy would be able to have a amazing wedding, all in white with hundreds of guests and a real band instead of only Lucy-san's celestial spirit Lyra."

"While this would be quite nice, I am wondering why you bring this up now," she sighed. "Jellal, I appreciate your attempt to talk with me like there never was anything … but I kinda wonder why you are even trying to distract me."

"Ultear said that she would kill me if I would pull another stunt like the one just after your return," he admitted. "And you really don't want to mess with her when she is grumpy."

"You wouldn't want to mess with me when I am in a bad mood either," she shrugged.

"But no matter how hard you try – you will never be as scary as Ultear when someone ate her chocolate," he replied. "I wanted to ask you if you want to go out with me sometimes, by the way. Sure, I won't be able to take you to some fancy restaurant as Laxus does with Cana all the time but … I cook quite well and according to Meredy, I cook even better than Ultear – and she cooks better than anyone I know…"

"Like a date?" she asked as she wondered why fate was tempting her like this.

"Y-yeah," he muttered. "I actually like you a lot, Erza, and so I was wondering…"

She was wondering why fate was tempting her like this because she knew that – if she played by the rules – she wasn't allowed to date him while he was still considered a criminal but she had grown tired of waiting for a miracle to happen. She wanted him. She wanted to love him and she wanted to be loved by him. And if the council had a problem with this, hell, screw the council. She wouldn't allow those old men to keep her away from her happiness forever.


	32. Wrath, RogueYukino AU

**32****nd****: Wrath**

* * *

**Summary**: _The wish to take revenge had devoured them before but this time, there was nothing and no one who could stop them._

* * *

She slammed her opponent against the wall, grabbing the key card before she waited for her partner to knock their former comrade out. Her white hair gleamed even in the faint light and his black hair shone subtly as well as they silently moved down the hallway. Less than a year ago, they had been members of Sabertooth, the criminal organisation. They had been killers in the name of their boss, in Jiemma's name.

But this had changed. This time, they were here to take revenge for everything Sabertooth had done to them. They were here for payback … for revenge for all the pain and humiliation … and they wouldn't stop until their revenge was complete.

The first few cronies were taken out with ease and by the time they got dangerously close to the master's room, no one had spotted them yet. For a moment, the woman wondered if it was right for her to take revenge like this after all Sabertooth had done for her but then she remembered how cruel the organisation had been to her and her partner and the next guard who got too close to her got a full-blown punch into the stomach.

"It doesn't befits you to be overly excited, Y," the black-haired man stated as they went down the last hallway that separated them from their destination.

"And it's not like you to talk this much, R," she replied as she smirked at him. "It's just … we came too far to let those fools bother us now. I cannot move on without closing the chapter Sabertooth forever," she shrugged. "You haven't forgotten about S either, did you?"

Her partner quietly shook his head as he remembered his slightly arrogant best friend who had always smirked smugly – even in death. This was for Sting – which had been the blonde's full name – and R wouldn't stop at anything to avenge his friend who had been betrayed by his own girlfriend, the daughter of Sabertooth's master. Well, it hadn't ended well for Minerva-sama for she had been killed by a member of Fairy Tail – a rivalling organisation. It had sounded like Fairy Tail's blue-haired assassin hadn't taken it well that Minerva had flirted with another assassin, someone called Gray-sama.

"I thought so," Y said as she turned her attention at the task ahead. "We need to get through Master's newest lapdog to get to master himself," she muttered. "The new R…"

R sighed deeply. "Tsk, master was in such a hurry to replace me…" he muttered.

She looked over her shoulder, remembering the cold and emotionless man she had met when she had first joined Sabertooth, so many years ago. He had changed a lot, especially after Sting's death. She had never seen him this angry before but that night, he had scared her with his angrily burning eyes. She had dragged him away from everything back then and before Sting's body had been cold, they had been hundred miles away – leaving their old identity behind. She had grown after she had abandoned her old organisation. She was less scared of everything and she actually stood up for herself.

She also knew that she had saved his life by taking him away from the organisation and the town because she knew that he would have attacked Jiemma openly – and this would have been his last action. But so, after a year, they had a strategy, a plan.

"Y and the one I replaced…" the man with long blond hair and a mask over his face smirked as he walked down the stairs. "It seems like master was right about you … you really don't know when to stop…"

"You look like a clown, you know that, huh?" R stated drily.

"I've been told so by Fullbuster as well … that was before I beat the hell out of him."

"And seeing that Gray Fullbuster is still alive and well, you failed your duty," Y said as she crossed her arms. "We never failed our duty until **that** day."

"Technically, it was night when it all went down the drain," R corrected her. "But that isn't of any importance as well. We will take you down and then we will proceed to master dearest to hand in our official resignation."

When they had been still in the same team as Sting, they had been slightly imbalanced. Y, S and R had been all Brain and Bullets with a slight over focus onto the bullets. Sting had been intended to be a field and street man because he had been able to get into every place because of his charm and yet, he had been too much a man of with a gun. This hadn't ended well for him in the end when Minerva-sama had decided to be a bitch and kill him off without a moment of hesitation.

Now, they were better balanced. Y supplied the brains and R had the bullets to back it up.

"Whatever," the new R said as he waited for the incoming attack which was an attack of the man he had taken over for. The true R fisted him straight into the stomach before the elbow came down onto the blond man's head. Y frowned slightly as this display of violence before she tapped her partner's shoulder. "He has been unconscious for two minutes," she stated calmly. "I think that you might want to stop now. We don't have any time to waste."

He nodded as he let go of his defeated successor. "I expected master to get someone who actually can stay conscious for a few moments when he replaced me," he muttered as they walked up the stairs. "I mean … even the fairies stood longer than that…"

"There you see where Sabertooth ended once Minerva and Sting were dead and we left," she shrugged as she kicked open to door to the master's room.

"Y and R – it took you long to return," Jiemma said as he raised his head to look at them. "I was already thinking that you would never come home."

"This is no 'welcome back', master," R spat. "This is a 'goodbye' - forever."

"Why do you always get the awesome lines?" Y snapped at him – a mere second before a shot rang out. In disbelief, she stared at the crimson spot on her white shirt, before she slowly fell back as the red stain grew further and further.

R's world stopped with a screeching noise and his dark eyes seemed to be red as he watched his partner, the reason why he was still alive, lying on the floor, a pool of blood forming around her. Wrath consumed him completely. The last time this had happened, Y had been there. She had held him back. She had taken him away before he had lost his mind completely. This time, she wasn't able to stop him as he unsheathed his katana and attacked his former master. He cursed at the man without really paying attention to his words. The only thing he cared for was to kill the man, to kill him the most painful way possible because this man had killed the woman R loved. Loved? Yes, he came to realise, he loved Y who had been so fragile and breakable when they had first met. He loved the woman who could make him laugh and who had saved his life back then.

"R…" Y chocked out as she coughed up blood. "He … he is already … dead…"

He turned away from the man and walked over to her, both bloodstained. She was stained with her own blood and he was stained with their former master's blood. He sat down before he gathered her injured body in his arms. "I will get you out of here," he promised.

"No," she said as she brushed away the strand of hair that hid his face. "It's too late."

"It's never too late, Y," he replied.

"Yukino," she chocked out. "My name … it is Yukino."

The name revealed a simple fact to R. His partner who had been there for the most important part of his life had been told the same thing as Sting and R: that they weren't allowed – under any circumstances – to reveal their full first name. And since R had been here once before, he knew under which circumstance even rule-obsessed people such as Sting and Yukino would break this rule: when they didn't have to be afraid of punishment anymore, when they knew that this rule couldn't bother them anymore because they would die anyway. And so Yukino – such a pretty name for such a beautiful woman – had broken the rule. She was sure that she would be dead before the hour was over.

"Y-Yukino…" he somehow managed to say as he took a first step towards the door. "Hold on, will you? I know a nurse – she still owes me a favour, I once saved her husband. Hold on, alright? I will get you to her. You will be alright again. I promise."

She shook her head before she kissed his cheek. "Stay strong, dragon," she whispered as her eyes slowly closed. "I won't be able to help you anymore…"

As she fell silent, he nearly panicked but his trembling hand found the pulse on her neck. She was still with him. She was still there. She hadn't gone like Sting had. He kept pressing his jacket onto her wound as he walked out of the headquarters, lucky that all the guards were still out like candles which had been re-enlightened yet.

No matter how this would end, it wouldn't end with Yukino's death. This wasn't how their story was supposed to end. For some strange reason, he had always imagined that they would die together – maybe in a car crash or something like this. A bullet hadn't been part of his equation but then again, he had been the bullets to her brain. Maybe she had known that something like this might happen. Maybe this was the reason why she was so calm.

* * *

Natsu was silent, for once. Even Gajeel and Laxus weren't saying anything though it was obvious that the latter was about to say something – probably something rude, knowing him. R stared at his hands which were still bloodstained before he looked at the door.

"If there is someone who can save her, that would be Wendy," Natsu said quietly. "I mean … she even managed to save Laxus' eye back then … that woman is a freaking miracle."

"What else could she be with brothers like us?" Laxus snorted as he touched the scar that marked his face. "Anyway, R, this was foolish of you. I know that you didn't want to join Fairy Tail but we are the Dragon's Children. We could have supported you. To do this on your own – even if it was for Sting – was completely _crazy_."

"I know that too, now," the black-haired man muttered softly. "How's your girl?"

"Booze chick? She spends the weekend at her parents' cottage with the other girls. You are fucking lucky that Wendy didn't leave with them – little sister had a stomach bug and decided to stay at home," Gajeel shrugged. "Little Laxus seems to be serious about her."

"If I wasn't serious and if I would toy with her heart, either she or her dad would kill me," the blond dragon sighed. "But you and Levy are settling down as well, Gajeel-_chan_."

"Don't remind me of your creepy father, Laxus," the gruff man said disgusted. "That man is one of the few who actually give me creeps."

"Just like Levy is the only one who can scare you, right?" Natsu grinned as he patted R's shoulder. "Wendy will be able to save your girlfriend. I am sure of this."

Sometimes, R wondered why they could be still friends like this. Sure, they had kind of grown up together because their parents had been friends but when they had been adults, they had joined opposing organisations. Most of them had joined Fairy Tail while he had joined Sabertooth along with Sting who wasn't there anymore. Wendy, cute, innocent little Wendy, was the youngest among them and Gajeel was the oldest. They all shared a sibling-like relationship and sometimes met up for old time's sake.

He was still lost in his thoughts as the door finally opened and 'cute, innocent little Wendy' made her appearance. Her long blue hair was braided and her white coat showed a few bloodstains as her amber eyes burned with wrath.

"You damned idiot!" she screamed as she grabbed his ear and nearly ripped it off. "First you never call for a whole year and suddenly you appear with a nearly dying woman? Are you out of your mind, _shadow dragon_? You didn't even attend my wedding!"

He shrunk back. No matter how sweet Wendy usually was, she could be extremely intimidating when she wanted to. "I am sorry, _sky sorceress_," he replied quickly. "How's Yukino?"

"She will make it – but still, how dare you to ignore my birthday and all the other parties I threw for the others?" she hissed as she continued to violate his poor ear. "I really should ask Gajeel-nii to beat you up – even he appeared every time I invited him!"

"Yes, because Levy was scaring him into compliance," R sighed. "Am I right, _iron dragon_?"

"You have no clue how scary the shrimp gets when she's mad at me," Gajeel muttered.

"Tsk, afraid that you end up in the cat house?" Laxus chuckled.

"Very funny but no," Gajeel said. "And Lily doesn't sleep in a house. He sleeps on the windowsill in our bedroom so he won't get scared when a thunderstorm appears."

R left them to themselves after Laxus and Gajeel engaged a battle which made Wendy slap them both and went on to the guest room where he suspected Yukino to be. His guess was right. She was there, sleeping lightly and awaking when he entered.

"I am still alive," she whispered as she gingerly touched the bandages over her stomach.

"Yes," R agreed. "We don't call Wendy a sorceress for nothing, you see? You will stay alive. You won't leave me the way Sting did."

"Who is Wendy?" she asked. "Your girlfriend? You never mentioned her before…"

He shook his head. "She is a childhood friend of me and Sting," he said as he sat down. "We are in the headquarters of Dragon's Children and she works as a nurse here but she's also an assassin. She owed me a favour and so I called it in. She's quite the miracle worker."

"What will we do now, R?" she asked. "Our revenge is complete…"

"Rogue," he said softly. "My name is Rogue. And I don't know what we will do now … but I guess that we should do it together, alright?"


	33. Gluttony, Laxana

**33****rd****: Gluttony**

* * *

**Summary**: _Gluttony meant more than only eating (or drinking) far too much. It also meant selfishness and this was the reason they both of them sinned. [between Tower and Gambling]_

* * *

There many reasons why she drank this much. Mostly, it was to numb the pain, pain which had been caused by many things, mainly by betrayal or abandonment. There was her mother's death. There was Gildarts who had failed to recognise her. And there was Laxus who had turned against his guild, who had turned against her. She also drank because as long as she was never sober, she wasn't smart enough to be suggested for another S-class exam. She had been chosen four times so far and it hurt too much to know that she would probably fail to pass another time. As long as she was too drunk to do anything useful, she hoped that Makarov had enough common sense to leave her out this time.

Sure, she had been quite active during the battle against Phantom Lord but she hoped that Makarov who had been out at the time hadn't heard of this yet. She didn't want to be humiliated like this again. She had sworn that she would be S-class before she would tell Gildarts that she was his daughter and even if this would take another twelve years, she would stay silent. She had her pride after all.

But she wasn't as proud as Evergreen or any other fool. She was Cana Alberona and her sin wasn't pride. Oh yes, she could be quite selfish as well. She tended to ignore the sorrows of her friends when she had a problem of her own and somehow, the thought that her mother might have wanted her to tell her father flat out that she was his daughter had never struck her – and even if it had, she wouldn't have thought much of this because her mother was dead, had been dead for twelve years by now.

Her selfishness would probably get her in trouble one day, Cana knew this, but somehow, she wasn't sure how much this bothered her – she only knew that it wasn't enough.

The only thing that annoyed her at the moment was the way everyone expected her to snap – to snap because Laxus had betrayed her just as much as he had betrayed the rest of the guild. But she wouldn't snap because this would mean to admit that she cared for him.

* * *

He chuckled weakly as he read her name in the Sorcerer Magazine. Trust Jason to be cool enough to pick out the few Fairy Tail members who weren't complete failures. This week, there was a complete double page about Fairy Tail's drunken queen of cards, Cana Alberona, and Fairy Tail's very own water mage, Juvia Loxar. It was strange how much he missed her. True, they had been friends even though it seemed centuries ago. His thumb smoothed the wrinkled page and he sighed deeply. Someone in the guild – probably Mirajane or Erza – had handed out one of the rare pictures that showed him along with the brunette, sleeping side by side on a bench in the guildhall. Her head rested on his shoulder as his coat was wrapped around both of them. The subtitle read out: _Laxus Dreyar and Cana Alberona – simply nakama or did Laxana become reality?_

"L-Laxana?" he stuttered, unable to understand this abomination created by violating both their first names. "Is Jason fucking kidding me? Or which moron came up with that one?"

"It's quite catchy, isn't it?" the owner of the inn he was currently staying at grinned as she cleaned the tables. "I think that it's flattering, Mr Dreyar."

"Cana probably threw a fit at this," he muttered as he continued to read. The picture was an old one, this was true, but why did he feel like the feeling it conveyed had survived? She seemed to be the guiding star he followed even in the eternal night he was currently facing. He had been afraid. He of all people had been afraid to say what he had been thinking all the time after he had awakened from his power-obsessed state. His grandmother had always told him that it would never be too late to correct a mistake but he wasn't sure about this anymore. He had passed up his chance to … well … confess.

He had to stop being afraid of her rejection, a rejection that would shatter him completely. There was no one else for him so why was he always hesitating? In the past, this had been stupid while now, it was a little bit smarter. He had destroyed their past and any feelings she might have held for him at one point or another.

He looked up as slow footsteps approached him and was confused. What the hell did the water mage he had ordered Fried to kill from him? She seemed to be unsure what to say but after a few moments, she collected herself and looked up and right into his eyes.

"Laxus-san," she began. "Juvia has no clue what kind of relationship you and Cana shared before your unfortunate attempt to take over the guild but … Juvia knows that this is hard on both of you and she hates to see her friend's suffering."

For a moment, he froze to admire the backbone she possessed and her courage. She was weak against lightening and she knew it – and she still had sought him out in spite of knowing that he had ordered her death only a few weeks ago to help him. _'Well, she is Cana's friend so she probably does this only for her,'_ he reasoned. Still, the loyalty and the courage were pretty impressive – and completely untypical for Phantom Lord mages so she was probably, perhaps pretty much a real Fairy Tail mage.

"Sit down," he sighed as he closed his magazine. "Let me guess, Cana has no clue where you are, huh? She wouldn't have allowed you to go and look for me."

"Cana believes Juvia to be stalking Gray-sama," the water mage replied as she sat down and rested both hands on the table. "And Gray-sama will confirm this should Cana ask."

"Nice plan," the lightening mage admitted as he rested his head on his palm. "I treat you with a drink, alright?" he added. "We need to talk about Cana. How is she doing?"

Juvia's face darkened. "Worse than Juvia expected her to," the blue-haired woman said. "It is very strange. Gajeel-kun said that she drinks more than usually … and that she ignores the fights in the guildhall. Usually, she would be right in the middle of this but now…"

"I remember this from when we were younger … she was always in the middle of each battle…" Laxus muttered as he stared into the depths of his drink. "Stupid girl … she should know that this wasn't her fault. God knows what she is thinking right now…"

"Evergreen-san voiced her worry that Cana might feel caged in Magnolia and said that she would try to make Cana leave the town for a job in Crocus," Juvia said with a hidden smirk. Up to now, her master plan was working quite well – she only had to hope that Evergreen would be able to get Cana to take on the job but somehow, she didn't doubt that the brunette woman could be quite convincing when it was needed.

"Crocus, huh?" the blond man asked as he raised an eyebrow. "I think that I might be able to visit the capital … there are quite a few interesting jobs out there…" he got up. "Thanks, Juvia," he grinned as he grabbed his coat.

She hid her smirk as she nodded. "No, Juvia thanks you," she replied.

* * *

It was Evergreen of all people who shook her out of her behaviour. "So, either Juvia-san's gloomy aura really got to you, girl, or you are drowning yourself in that sea of despair out of grief about Laxus," the brunette said grimly. "Tsk, and here I thought that the only thing about you that would never change is that you aren't afraid of anything or anyone."

"So, what do you suggest?" Cana asked as she crossed her arms.

"Hell – do I have to spell it out for you? Go and search for him! I hate to say this but … kick his self-righteous ass and tell him that Fairy Tail needs him, that the Thundergod Tribe needs him – damn, that you need him!" the older woman hissed before she rushed away before she turned around as she reached the stairs. "And do everyone in Magnolia a favour and take on a job!" she spat. "Juvia at her gloomiest times is a better company than you right now! There, I wanted to take that mission but you can have it. Just leave the town!"

Cana caught the paper the self-proclaimed Queen of Fairies threw at her and frowned. "You would give up such an amazing quest?" she asked.

"There you see how much I want you to leave this town," the brunette woman snapped as she patted her own shoulder. All the work she had used on becoming a good actress hadn't been in vain after all.

* * *

Laxus and Cana met on the main place of Crocus and while the latter was surprised to see the former, the former merely smirked as he bowed ironically. "It has been a while, Cana," he said politely as he smiled at her. "How have you been lately?"

"I need a drink," she muttered. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I am a free man and I can go wherever I please," he said amused. "And I heard from Fried that you have been drinking too much lately. You should consider stopping as long as you can still control this, Cana."

"Do you have to torture me like this?" she snapped. "I know that I should be mad at you for being such a complete jerk but I somehow fail to get mad at you!"

"It was only a matter of time until my charm would get you," he shrugged. "Anyway, let's go out for lunch now – yes, as a date. I am too selfish to let you go now."


	34. Envy, AquaScorpio

**34****th****: Envy**

* * *

**Summary**: _They wanted what the others had. She wanted legs and he wanted a body that didn't betray his identity as a zodiac spirit. In the end, they realised that they had what they needed._

* * *

She glared at Aries as she watched the pink-haired spirit jumping around in the Spirit Realm; obviously relived that Leo had made it home uninjured from another mission. The Water Bearer glared especially hard at the long legs, the usually so timid spirit showed off like it meant nothing to her while it was obviously a great deal. Legs weren't meant to be shown off like this – at least this was what Aquarius believed. The mermaid had no legs so she was maybe the wrong person to be judge about this but Aries was showing indecently much skin lately. It was disgusting that this was how low the Ram had sunken on her quest to get the Lion's attention.

And even worse: it worked. Aries' self-confidence had gone up lately because she had finally managed to pass her gate without being summoned – a feat only highly skilled celestial spirits such as Virgo and Leo, the leader of the celestial spirits of the zodiac, had been able to. This made Aries – technically – a better spirit than Aquarius was and she hated the pink-haired brat for this because after centuries of belittling Aries, the Ram suddenly got something called backbone and actually did something instead of apologising all the time. This got under Aquarius' skin like nothing before. Aries was supposed to be the fragile one, the chain's weakest link. And now, the Ram finally did something useful. This made her madder than anything else. This was worse than the foolish summoner dropping her key all the time. This was concurrence and Aquarius hated concurrence – especially with Scorpio showing more and more interest towards the pink-haired spirit.

For a moment, she wondered if her life would be easier if she had legs. She would be able to walk if she had legs. She would be able to appear even if there weren't water. She would be more useful again. She would be stronger.

* * *

Scorpio glared at Leo as the Lion strolled down the street, patting down his hair to seem more human – not like there was much to do for him in order to appear perfectly human. Leo, Virgo, Libra and Aries were the lucky ones – with minimal effort, they would always look perfectly human. Well, Aries had to hide her horns but this was hardly difficult.

"Where are you going, Leo?" Scorpio asked as he tried hard not so sound jealous.

"I finally managed to get Aries to go out with me," Leo grinned widely as he looked around before he showed his fellow spirit the bouquet he had been hiding. "We will have dinner in the Human World – Lucy-san recommended a restaurant she was at with Natsu last weekend before she had to call Virgo to clean up the mess they made when Erza-san barged in."

"…and here comes the bride," Virgo announced, close to tears as she dragged Aries down the street, grinning widely. "Look what Libra-chan and I made out of shy little Aries!"

Scorpio and Leo both turned around and the renowned playboy blushed at the sight of his long-time best friend and now-girlfriend. Virgo had somehow managed – and the Scorpion assumed that violence might have been a way to achieve this – to get Aries into a pale pink dress made of silk instead of wool. The pink hair was styled neatly to hide the horns and Scorpio instantly knew that Aquarius would throw a fit if she saw him around Aries.

"We aren't getting married, Virgo!" Aries said as she blushed deeply.

"Yet," Leo grinned before he took her hand. "C'mon, we need to leave now."

And without further ado, they left the Celestial Spirit Realm.

"Finally he made his move on her," Libra sighed as she crossed her arms. "And it's really impressive that she can leave on her own accord now as well. Anyway, bowling?"

"Great idea, ebi," Cancer said as he stored his scissors in his pockets. "Lead the way, Libby."

"I go and look for Aqua," Scorpio sighed before he made his way down the street. He had a dark idea that his girlfriend's bad mood lately was to blame on the change in Aries' behaviour – or more exactly, Aries' return to her more self-confident self which a certain green-haired mage had crushed with all her might.

He found the mermaid at the lake where she watched Pisces swimming as Gemini tried to cheer her up by changing into the most ridiculous shapes.

"Aqua," he said as he sat down next to her. "Are you alright? Cancer said that you have been training too much lately … and you were avoiding me as well."

"Tell the stupid crab to leave me alone," she snorted as she glared at her blue scales. "I am ugly, ain't I, Scorpio? Even Aries - stupid, shy little Aries – is prettier than me."

"Leo thinks this but I think that you are far prettier," he sighed.

"B-but … she has legs, right? She can walk! She can dance!"

"You are the better swimmer, right?" he said as he patted her shoulder. "Look, that she has legs is no need to hate on her now, Aquarius. You have been friends with her for centuries and you took this long to realise that she has legs?"

"The legs are only part of the reason … when she actually tries to look nice, she is extremely pretty!" she protested. "And she has to be stronger than me now that she can leave for the Human Realm whenever she wants to. She can go out for dates there where the nice restaurants are … and we are stuck with the same few restaurants for centuries by now. Even Libra-san gets bored at the bowling centre by now … and she can manipulate the stupid things. I am getting sick of Aries getting things I deserve more than she does."

"It's not yours to judge about what she deserves," he replied in an attempt to appease her. "True, Aries is a lucky spirit lately but she worked hard for it and she suffered for this. You heard from Leo what kind of summoner this Karen-person was and Angel's wasn't any better. You know that. You have met her. She had mostly cruel masters until she became one of Lucy-san's spirits and while I can understand your anger, you have to accept this."

"You spent too much time with Borealis and the other monk-like spirits," she complained.

"Let's spar first and later on, let's go out for dinner, alright? My treat," he grinned. "And neither Borealis nor I are monks. We are both dating someone after all – and while I need to be calm to deal with your temper and while he surely suffers under Corona's short fuse, we learned to deal with those things." He got up and held out his hand. "And though you still don't have legs, Aqua, you have me and I won't leave you, got it?"

She grinned widely as she floated down the street. "And you are far more handsome than that useless playboy," she said amused.

"Damn straight," he chuckled.


	35. Sloth, GaVy

**35****th****: Sloth**

* * *

**Summary**: _He was utterly incapable of moving on but so was she._

* * *

He watched in confusion how she glared at the newspaper and crumbled it before she rushed out of the guildhall. Slowly, trying to stay out of Mira's field of view, he sneaked over to the bench where she had been sitting and grabbed the newspaper, trying to figure out what had caused the Shrimp to destroy the newspaper like this.

He hadn't look long but by the time he reached the right page, his heart beat so loud inside his chest that he wondered why the others weren't looking at him. He wasn't the kind of guy to stalk the one he was interested in. This was Juvia's field of expertise and he really didn't want to compete against his old friend.

He kept an eye on Mira as he quickly read the page. If the barmaid were to look, he'd be back on his original place too quick for her to realise that he had been reading the newspaper the Shrimp had mistreated a few minutes ago. He didn't take long to find the article which had caused the blue-haired woman to lose her cool for a moment. "Dark Écriture Master, Lillian McGarden, will visit Magnolia soon!"

"So you figured it out on your own, huh, Redfox?" the green-haired mage asked as he sat down and crossed his arms. "Levy and her mother … well, it's complicate."

"Why?" the Iron Dragon Slayer asked as he crossed his arms. "Don't tell me that Shrimp's mother is a bitch like your teammate, punk, 'cause I wouldn't believe it."

"It's really not that easy," he said. "Her mother is a mage, a pretty good one at that. She never joined a guild but among the independent mages, she's one of the best – or at least, she used to. She always wanted Levy to go for Dark Écriture but Levy wanted to learn Solid Script because she considered it more useful. Sure, since all the types of Script Magic are closely related, Levy has some basic skill but not all that much."

"And so she and her mother grew apart?"

"They haven't been talking since Levy was ten years old," Fried said. "Do me a favour and go look for her before she goes on a quest just to avoid her mother."

"What do I get out of this?"

"I wouldn't tell Mira that you are stalking Levy," the green-haired man smirked as he walked away with a smug grin all over his face.

Gajeel rolled his eyes before he went to look for his former S-class exam partner and found her in the garden of the guild. "Oi, Shrimp," he said as he sat down next to her. "You alright? 'Cause if you want to take your wrath out on something, I volunteer."

She snorted. "Ask me again after she left," she muttered darkly. "Damn, I really want to stay this time, you know? Just to show her that she doesn't know everything. But … a part of me wants to leave because that would be safer for my pride."

"So your mother isn't the warm and nice kind of person either, huh?"

"Yeah," she muttered. "I guess that Fried told you, huh? Anyway, it still stings that she thinks that Solid Script magic is inferior to Dark Écriture, you know?"

"Metalicana was the same, you see?" he asked as he awkwardly patted her shoulder. "He always told me that I was a disgrace to all dragon slayers. It hurt, sure, but in a way, it motivated me … I wanted to prove him that I was better than he believed me to be…"

"My mother will find ways to give me hell," she muttered as she wrapped her arms around her legs. "She's a skilled mage, true, but she isn't all that great. I am sure that Fried would be able to beat her. Anyway, I need to pick up a quest so that I won't meet her again."

"You are crazy, Shrimp," he said before he ruffled her hair. "You got to stand your ground. Don't let her push you around like that, alright? You are stronger than that, aren't you?"

"You haven't met her yet, Gajeel. You cannot judge about this. I haven't met your father either so I cannot judge about this either."

"I wouldn't run away from him."

"You have been searching for him ever since he abandoned him – to kick his dragon ass, of course. It's not like you have any friendly feelings for him or that you are missing him after all," she said with a slight smirk. "Anyway, why should I stay?"

"You can deal with me without trouble after all I've done to you and now you are running from your mother? C'mon, I can stay with you all the time if you need backup…"

"You didn't crush my complete self-confidence back then. Sure, it did hurt but … that was only my body – and you apologised. She never apologised for messing with my mind."

"I never pledged you as a complicate chick Shrimp," he shrugged. "So what if she crushed your self-confidence all those years ago? You are an awesome supporter now…"

"She is beautiful … you can tell me those things now but when she's there, I'd forget them all because she is beautiful and intimidating…"

"Tsk, you don't look all that bad either, Shorty," he sighed as he patted her head. "You are cute – like a baby bird or Lily when he isn't in his combat shape. So don't feel bothered by whatever your mother might say to you. You are great in your own way. Move on."

But she couldn't and neither could he. The words their parents had said so many years ago were still stuck into their minds and no matter how hard they tried to move on, they simply couldn't. They were stuck and in a way, this was more comfortable because it was an easy excuse. They had both someone to put the blame onto – if it wasn't so complicated to lie to themselves, they would have stopped a long time ago.


	36. Frozen Tear, Juvia

**36****th****: Frozen Tear**

* * *

**Summary**: _She wanted to see a real winter, one with snow and all these things but the rain didn't let her._

* * *

As long as she could remember, snow had fascinated her. It was like rain in a way but on the other hand, it was nothing like the cursed downpour that followed her wherever she went. And the other people liked snow – especially the children. Sometimes she wondered if she had been less socially awkward if snow would have been following her wherever she went. Snow Woman sounded far nicer than Rain Woman in her opinion as well.

But no matter how much snow fascinated her, she had never been able to actually see this amazing thing because whenever she tried to get a job in a region where it snowed quite a lot, her rain ruined the whole thing in a few minutes.

Gajeel, the only member of Phantom Lord who had some kind of respect for her, had laughed at her when she had nearly cried as another mission which had been supposed to get them close to snow had turned out to be another disappointment.

Juvia liked the cold. Unlike the terrible heat in the desert which destroyed water, the cold preserved it and formed it into something more stable, more reliable. Maybe this was the reason why she was frozen – never mind the pun – for a whole minute as she met the Ice Mage, Gray Fullbuster. He made frozen water look so beautiful and yet so strong, that she wouldn't have minded it if he had formed her as well.

Maybe this was why she eventually lost the fight – she was too awed by his skill to make something special out of ice. Juvia was no form mage – maybe because she lacked the skill, maybe because she lacked the patience to dedicate so much time into creating something.

Gajeel-kun had once compared her to a river, seemingly calm and peaceful but with hidden strength hidden in the depths. Maybe this was how she was deep inside.

The rain had finally left her after Gray-sama had defeated her because in the end, she had realised how empty and meaningless her life was – the life she had always lived only for herself. To live for someone else, to live for a guild – the idea made suddenly sense to her.

And so she changed her ways. She changed her hairstyle as visible difference to mark the start of her new life. She started to wear prettier, brighter clothes and she found herself happy for the first time in her whole life.

But there was still one thing left to do. She had to see real snow – and not only from afar and not magically manipulated snow. It had to be real snow.

Levy was the one she asked if there was a quest that would make it possible for her to visit a region where it regularly snowed and the Solid Script Mage had the solution. There was in fact a mission but from what Gajeel had said, he fully intended to take it for himself. Well, this was nothing a combined pout of the both blue-haired woman couldn't fix and so they made their way to a little village where the Midwinter Festival seemed to last the whole year.

And for the first time in her life, Juvia could enjoy snow. It was a feeling that moved her deep inside. This had to be the feeling of a mother feeling her unborn child for the first time. This had to be the way an author felt when he finally finished his novel.

This feeling seemed to mark an end – the end of pointless hope and growing desperation – and the beginning – the beginning of a new time, one full of friendship and happiness.

And so, a single tear fell from her eye.


	37. Hopes and smiles, Evergreen

**37****th****: Hopes and smiles**

* * *

**Summary**: _Her genuine smiles had died along with her hope. Now, both were about to be revived and she wasn't sure if she liked this._

* * *

The brunette woman dodged the blade coming for her before she twisted in midair, unleashing the full power of her Stone Eyes and her opponent was instantly petrified. She hid a smirk as she brushed back a strand of her hair and grabbed the necklace the man had dropped as she had gotten him.

"Good work, Ever," Fried complimented as he took the necklace from her hand. "But we should hurry back to the guild if you don't want to miss Gildarts' birthday party."

She merely nodded. She had found out that she had fallen quite silent since the failure of Laxus' takeover of the guild and the disaster on Tenrou-Island. Something had changed and she wasn't sure what exactly wasn't like it used to be anymore. Most nakama didn't even notice because she had always been silent and distanced but even Bixslow who never noticed anything regarding women had commented lately that she didn't smile anymore. (She had slapped him for this comment – especially when he had assumed that she was PMSing.) Fried had even dared to order her to 'sort out her issues' because he didn't feel comfortable with this version of her.

When she was completely honest with herself, her smiles had died alongside her hope. She had once believed that if she only tried hard enough, she would be a completely accepted nakama but she had quickly realised that this dream was a foolish one.

Even though Fairy Tail had been her home for a very long time, she hadn't felt the urge to scream "I am home!" whenever she returned from a mission. Every night when she sat awake in her bed, counting the stars until she finally fell asleep and while she sat there, she remembered. She remembered the evening Laxus had left the guild. It had been a terrible day but the thing she remembered the best was his face when he had told them of his decision. She had damned him then. No matter how noble his goal to regain his reputation and his status inside the guild was, she had hated him for abandoning them. Cana Alberona had no clue how easy she could manipulate the blond man.

She also remembered master's words which had shattered Laxus' pride – and Natsu's foolish and probably wrong accusations. She had always known that the relationship wasn't an easy one but she had never thought that Laxus would throw everything away. But he had done nothing else.

She had felt terrible directly after the Battle of Fairy Tail. She had felt lost without Laxus to tell her and the other members of the Thundergod Tribe what they had to do. She hadn't understood even half of the things which had been going on because it had been too much to take in. Bixslow's defeat because of that blond cheerlead … her own defeat because of Erza … and finally, Fried's defeat because Mirajane had finally snapped.

She had been hurt. She had felt left out of everything because her foolish teammates had attempted to reconcile with the guild while she – socially awkward as she was – had stood at the sidelines. She had hated the fact that she had lost nearly as much as she had hated the fatigue which had caught her – and she had been confused … confused because the Thundergod Tribe simply didn't lose. They weren't used to defeat. They were too strong to be defeated by weak little mages. She had been mad at herself, her teammates, her nakama – and the world in general.

This wasn't what she wanted to be. She wanted to be a typical Fairy Tail mage – getting up after an injury just because she wanted to and because her heart beat for her guild. She wanted to get up after she had been thrown down but somehow, she stayed in the dust, watching the others as they moved on, steady and fluent as they had moved before. Sometimes, she felt like she had died a long time ago – somewhere in between of Laxus' insane attempt to overthrow his grandfather and the failure of aforementioned plan.

She longed to come back to life. She longed to find herself in all this mess. She refused to allow those unfortunate incidents let define her – she refused to lie in the dust a second longer. What kind of world would this be if Evergreen would be completely defeated?

"…Ever … Ever…" Fried shook her roughly. "Woman, you keep spacing out, you know?"

She stared at the ground. "I am sorry," she muttered. "What were you saying?"

"I was wondering why you haven't smiled since … you-know-what…" he looked at her with a strangely worried and maybe even caring expression on his face. This was Fried Justine, an extraordinary softie ever since he had started to date Mira.

"I didn't feel like smiling," she muttered as they reached the guild building. "And before you assume something: no, it's not because of Elfman. He is a nice guy."

"You have been skipping lots of training lately to hang out with him…"

"We were stalking Bixslow and Lisanna – there's a difference. I had to make sure that our idiotic teammate wouldn't end up killed because of doing some strange stuff with Lisanna which would get him killed by an overprotective brother."

"You are finally there!" Cana exclaimed. Judging from her flushed face and the way she was clinging to Laxus, she had probably started drinking early.

"Cana, Juvia really think that you might be suffocating Laxus-san," the water mage said as she tried to get the card mage away from the lightening mage.

"Y-you are s-simply j-jealous!" Cana exclaimed as she glared at her friend. "But you won't get Laxus-kun, no, no. That's just not happening, l-love rival!"

If it hadn't been such a bizarre situation, Evergreen would have been lying on the floor, shaking uncontrollably and laughing like a maniac. She had done that before. Fried and Bixslow had been scarred for life.

"Cana-chan," Gildarts said as he grabbed his daughter and dragged her back to the bench were she had been supposed to sit. "I am not sure if I am ready for grandchildren yet, you see? And Laxus might be a better father if you wouldn't suffocate him."

"Too weak to get away from your own girlfriend, lightening bastard?" Gajeel snickered.

"No, I am simply not interested in spending the rest of my life on the couch," Laxus replied before he approached his bodyguards. "Grandfather decided that he and grandma are supposed to travel for a few years … and to make me master. Thank you for your support so far … I really appreciated it because you helped me a lot … especially you, Ever. All that subtle matchmaking between me and Cana paid off in the end."

A strange feeling ran through the woman's chest as she smiled at him. It was a real smile. It was a smile full of optimism because for the first time in what felt like ever, someone had thanked her for her unwavering support. She felt appreciated – especially as Juvia and the other women patted her shoulder and called her brave for dealing with four men (five if they included Elfman) for such a long time.

"You are a great mage," Erza said as she grinned at the older woman.

"Thanks, Sca- Titania," the brunette said.


	38. Smile of an angel, Mira

**38****th****: Smile of an angel**

* * *

**Summary**: _Cana had a field day with the newest issue of the Sorceress Magazine. Even Erza giggled when she read it. Levy – always the kind girl – merely shook her head but Mira saw the hidden smirk. Well, it was funny, in a way._

* * *

"Jason really outdid himself!" Cana cheered as she lowered her issue of the Sorceress Magazine with the widest grin anyone had seen in a while. "Listen to that, girls: Mirajane Strauss (20) is the new Miss Fiore, direct successor of Jenny Realight. The beautiful woman with the angelic smile-"

She started to laugh and held her sides as she rolled over the floor.

"Give me that," Erza said as she held out her hand. "You have to be kidding me." She grabbed the magazine from the Card Mage and her eyes widened nearly instantly as she quickly read the article. "My, my – that's truly hilarious, Mira. Did you really say those things about Fried having the silkiest hair in the guild? Cana might feel insulted."

"Nah, we all know that Juvia wins that competition hands down," Lucy said as she tugged on a blue strand. "Well, now that I am so close, I remember that Gray's hair smelled similarly when Natsu threw him onto me during the last guild fight…"

"Juvia-chan, care to tell us why Gray uses the same shampoo you do?" Lisanna grinned as she tilted her head and crossed her arms.

"I'd say that he spent the night because he fell asleep on the couch," Cana interrupted calmly as she nodded slightly at her blue-haired friend. "Gray has the tendency to do those things. I will never forget how Erza threw him out a window because he fell asleep on my couch when we were … eight or something like that."

"Back to the topic!" Lucy announced as she waved the magazine around. "Mira, you have to admit that this is quite funny. I cannot believe that someone would make up something as stupid and totally crazy as this. But it is simply hilarious!"

"And an amazing example for stupidity," Evergreen agreed as she raised her head for a moment. The oldest among them had been applying purple nail polish onto her foot nails and she seemed to have quite a good time.

"I think that's amusing as well," Levy stated calmly before she continued to read her book.

Mira stood in the middle of the room at a loss for words. "Even you agree, Levy?" she asked in mock hurt as she clasped both hands above her heart. "That's so … hurtful."

"Is that even a word?" Wendy inquired as she snatched the magazine from Levy. She quickly read it and chuckled just like her equally blue-haired friends. "You have to admit – it is kinda funny," she finally stated. "It's like the other article … when Cana's mature nature was supposedly a 'sober attitude' … both are contradicting and therefore funny."

"Well, she's right there, Mira-nee," Lisanna said amused as she leaned back on the couch. "The demon's angelic smile … I won't let you live that one down for the next century."

"You are cruel women," the oldest takeover sibling pouted as she sat down as well.

"Ah, c'mon, Mira," Cana said amused as she poured in another glass of wine for Juvia. "You have been having fun on our account for the last few years … so you can let us laugh about this for once. It's not like this damaged your reputation inside the guild. Everyone knows of your badass demon soul takeover. We can laugh about this."

"Why are you always so wise when you are halfway drunk, Cana?" Mira sighed as she finally smiled at this article as well.

"Tsk, I sedate myself because I cannot deal with your sulky faces half of the time and because I'd totally scare you with my strategic skill if I wasn't drunk all the time."

"The sad thing is that she's right," Lucy smirked as she sat down next to Lisanna who was showing immense interest in the article which was quite rare for her because usually, she was written texts bored her easily and it was an open secret that she hated to study.

"I really wonder who will be the next to read such an amazing article about himself," Evergreen said visible fascinated with the idea. "I'd love if it would get Juvia-san the next time."

"Nah, Juvia scares Jason too much … and he's kinda scared of Gray so he will leave her alone for the time being," Mira grinned as she watched her friends giggling because of a stupid article. Lisanna jumped up and down on the couch as she repeated the interview with Lucy, both laughing like two true maniacs because it was truly strange.

"Maybe it will be Erza next time," Lisanna suggested as she calmed down from her laughing fit. "Anyway, I am still waiting for your interview, Ever. You will scare this man too…"

"I always knew that my beauty would be appreciated one day," the brunette said smugly.

"We can count out Levy-chan because everyone knows that Gajeel scared Jason off before," Lucy said amused as she crossed her arms. "What about Lisanna-chan? She might be very well the next victim … or did Bixslow scare the hell out of Jason as well?"

"Do you know for what article I am really waiting?" Erza asked as she looked up from her own tooth nails which were currently painted bright blue with red patterns. "Laxus - because there won't be anything which could be funnier … he hates Jason with passion but he won't be able to get out of it because master said so, right?"

"If he would try to refuse, I'd threaten him with three weeks on the couch," Cana said relaxed. "So we can expect this interview to happen."

Mira smiled – it was the _angelic smile_ which had caused all this amusement. It was a kind smile, a smile which was supposed to cover up her demonic personality. It also was her mother's smile. She could only remember her mother smiling – even when she had been dying, she had always smiled for everyone else. It had been a smile which had given her children the strength to move on and to master the Soul Takeover Magic.

Her smile was the only keepsake she had from her mother and so she honoured it.


	39. Queen of Hearts, Lucy AU

**39****th****: Queen of Hearts**

* * *

**Summary**: _In the end, she would always be Lucky Lucy Heartfilia._

* * *

She was getting ready for another wedding. This time, it was her fellow literature student's Yukino's turn and while she was quite happy for her friend, she wondered when she would be the one to get married. Hell, even Cana who had sworn for years that she would never settle down because she was too keen on becoming a theatre star was engaged – and both Erza and Levy had already children while Juvia was pregnant with her first child.

"…lipstick, Lucy?" Lisanna Strauss, her roommate and close friend, asked as she held out the item. "You keep spacing out, Lucy. Is there something on your mind?"

"Nah, I am just thinking," the blonde sighed as she crossed her arms. "I like your dress, Lisanna. Is there a special reason why you are dressing up like that?"

"First of all: it's a wedding and so I am kinda obliged to look nice. And secondly … Elf-nii said that Evergreen and her clique are coming as well … and so, you know…"

"You decided to look not tomboyish for a change…" the brown-eyed girl smirked as she carefully applied the lipstick. "Say, Lisanna, you said something about a childhood friend of yours attending as well … mind to fill me in on that topic?"

"His name's Natsu, he's also one of Rogue-san's best friends because their parents were partners or something like that. Anyway, I haven't seen him in years 'cause he studied abroad with his stepsister or something like that."

"Is that another matchmaking attempt or your sister?" the blonde asked as she brushed her long hair and frowned at her reflection. "Because I told Mira to leave me alone…"

"Nah, Rogue invited him because they are childhood friends," the white-haired girl said as she twirled around, watching how her skirt flew through the air like a pastel blue and light pink hurricane. "Anyway, you should hurry up a bit, Lucy. I take care of your hair and you finish your make-up, alright?"

* * *

"Jellal and Mystogan!" Mira called out as the both blue-haired man walked across the place in front of the church. "I didn't know that you would attend as well…"

"Wendy was worried that we would suffer permanent damage from never attending any social gatherings," Mystogan shrugged with a faint smile. "And since Rogue's dad is an old friend of our mother, we were invited. Grandine is looking for Igneel-san, by the way…"

"When you say that Igneel is supposed to be here, wouldn't that mean that Natsu is here as well?" Mira asked as she looked around. "This will be fun … haha."

"Mirajane-san," a green-haired man said with a short bow. "It's nice to see you again."

"F-Fried-san," she said as a deep blush coloured her cheeks.

Jellal nudged her side with a wide grin. "Does little Mirajane have a crush?" he whispered which intensified her blush even further. "Looks like it…"

"You are being cruel, Jellal," a woman with dark hair said amused as she stopped next to the group. "Mirajane, Fried, blue-haired twins…"

"Ultear," Mystogan replied with a short bow. "Um, I saw Lyon bothering Juvia-san again…"

"Thank you very much, I will check on him," she sighed with a deep frown as she walked away, obviously ticked of by her colleague's behaviour.

"Poor Ultear," Jellal sighed as he shook his head. "Lyon is too caught up in what he calls love for Juvia-san to realise that Ultear has been waiting for him … for a very long time."

"Mira-nee," Lisanna said as she dragged Lucy over to the group of three. "Blue-haired twins, hi to you two as well. Where's Wendy-chan?"

"Wendy-nee is hanging out with Romeo behind the church because he nearly got a nervous breakdown when he saw her in this dress," Jellal chuckled as he looked around.

"Looking for Scarlet, Blue-haired fool?" a red-haired woman scoffed as she crossed her arms under her generous chest. "She was beating up that silver-haired pervert because he hit on that blue-haired chick who married the black-haired stripper last year."

"I guess that I got to go and calm Erza down before she kills him. I fear that Ultear might get pretty mad at her when she does this and the last thing I want is a bloodbath at Yukino-san's wedding," Jellal sighed. He, the bride and Ultear were project partners at the university and so they knew each other pretty well.

"Tsk, Scarlet has quite the problem with her anger management," the red-haired woman sneered as she nodded at Lisanna. "Long time no see, younger white-haired girly."

"Stop calling me girly, Knightwalker," Lisanna snapped at her before she mentioned towards Mystogan. "Just because you are still trying to cover up that he made you a nicer person, you don't have to insult me whenever you meet me, Knightwalker. And you can admit that you and Erza are getting along by now. For your information, I saw you at lunch together last Friday. Anyway, this is my friend Lucy. She studies literature like with Yukino. Lucy, the redhead is Erza Knightwalker, the twin of our Erza, the blue-haired guy is Mystogan, Wendy-chan's older brother, and you already know my sister and Fried."

"N-nice to meet you," the blonde said politely.

"Lisanna!" a male voice called out before the white-haired girl found herself tackled by her childhood fried who twirled her around in midair. "God, this has been a terribly long time!"

"Hey there, Natsu," she sighed as she mentioned towards her blond friend. "That's Lucy, I guess that I mentioned her in my letters. So, um, would you please take her around and present her to all our other old friends? She hasn't met Leo and Aries, I fear…"

"Why don't you do this, Lisa?" he asked.

"B-because I just saw Bixslow and because I've to talk with him, I see you later, guys," she said hastily before she dashed away.

"My little sister grows up," Mira sobbed as Fried patted who had reappeared patted her shoulder. "There, there," he said. "We should go and welcome Levy and Gajeel…"

"I agree," she said before she dragged him away.

"And we, um, we got to search our respective siblings, yes," Mystogan said before he grabbed Knightwalker's hand and disappeared with her.

"So, you are Lisanna's roommate, right?" Natsu asked as he looked around. "I can hardly think that anyone could stand her … she's always grumpy in the morning…"

"Well, me too and so we get along just well," she grinned as they entered the church after spotting the pink-haired woman with her golden-haired boyfriend close to the doors.

"Yo, Leo," Natsu called out and the other duo turned around. "You owe me a rematch."

"Tsk, you lost in a fair battle, Natsu," the man, Leo, smirked smugly. "And Aqua would kill me if I'd get hurt in another fight. She still thinks that I will help her moving in with Scorpio and Aries wouldn't be happy either, right, dear?"

"Y-yes," his girlfriend agreed softly as she stared at the ground.

"Aries, hold your head high and smile, damn it!" a blue-haired woman scoffed as she smacked Leo's girlfriend's head. "You aren't a shy freshman anymore, deary."

"H-hey there, A-Aquarius," Leo stuttered. "That's my friend Natsu."

"I know him. He's a friend of Juvia-chan's useless husband," the woman snapped before she walked on, with every fibre of her being the most fabulous guest on the wedding – or at least this seemed to be what she believed herself to be before she finally reached her place and sat down next to her boyfriend.

"Lisanna was right about you, Lucy," Natsu said with a grin as they sat down as well. "You are unique – but in a very good way. Um, if you want to, we could go out sometimes."

She fought back her blush as she nodded. "Yeah, that sounds nice," she said while she made a mental note to give Lisanna hell for this albeit successful matchmaking attempt.


	40. Wide sky, Romeo, Wendy

**40****th****: Wide sky**

* * *

**Summary**: _Sometimes, they felt that there'd never be enough space for them to grow. There were so many amazing mages in their guild and they were so young. But when they looked up, the sky above them was too wide to imagine that there wouldn't be space for them._

* * *

It was a strange feeling for them to watch how the older members of the guild were interviewed and praised. True, they were extremely strong and it was hard to believe that anyone could be better than them. To imagine a mage who was stronger than Erza meant to imagine a true monster – and no one wanted to think of such a monster.

But it was very frustrating for Romeo and Wendy alike that they would be always measured by the standards Erza and the others set. They were always asked to which older Fairy Tail mage they looked up the most and while Romeo still looked up to Natsu, Wendy looked up to Levy and Juvia because they dealt with their blue hair as if it was the most normal thing in the whole world.

But the main problem was still that people like Evergreen and Laxus who were natural prodigies flaunted their talent around like it was nothing. Evergreen had been born with the unique gift of petrifying others while Laxus had overcome the weakness he had possessed in his childhood and had became one of the strongest mages Fairy Tail had.

The problem weren't mages like Gray, Natsu or Gajeel who were skilled because of all the hard work they had invested into honing their unique skills. And even Juvia who had been born with an amazing natural potential for Water Magic was more of a friend to the younger mages because she smiled and helped them wherever they could. Juvia had talked her former Element 4 comrade into training Romeo without getting any money out of this after she had come back from Tenrou. Since he had owed her a favour, he had even paid back all the money he had gotten from the young Fire Mage so far.

Still, there were moments Wendy and Romeo doubted that they would ever be as amazing as Erza and the others. There were moments when they felt like babies compared to Fried and Gajeel. There were moment when Romeo wanted to be a Water Mage like Juvia.

But when they went outside and looked up to the sky which seemed to go on and on without any boundaries, they realised that there would always be enough space for them to grow into. They were trees and no little flowers. Though the other mages were tall and strong, they somehow failed to steal all the light and the air the children needed. Romeo Conbolt and Wendy Marvel were too keen on growing to be truly hindered by her senior mages and the older mages even supported them. Even Laxus who was such an enormous tree never stood in Wendy's way and Natsu supported Romeo as well.


	41. Broken-hearted, Gray, Juvia, Cana, Laxus

**41****st****: Broken-hearted**

* * *

**Summary**: _Their hearts had been broken, shattered. Their hope was nothing but an idea which had been trampled on many times. And yet, they walked with their heads held high._

* * *

The Club of the Broken-hearted was meeting every Friday evening at the Strauss-café which belonged to Katharina Strauss, Mirajane's mother. There was Gray Fullbuster, an orphaned boy who opened the door first and dragged his best friend and roommate, Cana Alberona, into the cosy café where the others were already waiting. Lyon nearly molested Juvia while Ultear slapped him in intervals of two seconds while Laxus closed his eyes and tried to ignore his so-called friends – he still hated to admit this.

"Welcome back to our newest meeting of the Club of the Broken-hearted," Ultear said as she finally let go of Lyon and beamed at her friends but they knew her a little too well to be tricked by this smile. It was too bright, too perfect – artificial but how was she supposed to smile naturally when the guy she loved always ignored her?

"Juvia is happy that you guys finally came," the blue-haired girl muttered quietly.

"Lyon, leave her alone," Cana ordered strictly as she slipped onto her place next to Laxus.

"Yeah," Gray agreed as he looked at his former friend. "She said no before, remember?"

"Jealous?" Laxus taunted as he opened his left eye and smirked.

"In fact, yes," Gray said as he crossed his arms. "Juvia, be my girlfriend, will you?"

Ultear, Lyon and Juvia stared at him as if he had just revealed that he liked to steal Erza Scarlet's strawberry cake which would be the same as asking for a painful death. Ultear had to hide a smirk and bent over to grab Laxus' headphones to distract everyone from herself. Lyon looked like he wanted to kill the black-haired boy as Juvia looked like she was about to faint.

"Kids," Laxus drawled as he sighed. "Get your act together, will you? You are pathetic."

"I agree," Cana nodded. "Lyon, you should have seen this coming. Juvia, calm the hell down. Ultear, your smirk is disturbing me. And Gray … took you long enough."

The black-haired girl crossed her arms as she emptied her cup of hot cocoa. "I am only happy for once," she said. She had lost her parents in a car crash last summer and ever since then, she lived with Lyon which hadn't benefitted her heartache at all because while she had been crushing on him since freshmen year while he had fallen head over heels for Juvia who was in love with Gray for as long as Cana could remember.

"We should share now," Gray said calmly after fanning Juvia who hadn't fainted which had surprised all of them quite a bit.

"Alright" Laxus said as he bit his lower lip. No one of them had chosen to join this group. Their headmaster who was also his grandfather had decided that they had issues to sort out and since Headmaster Makarov Dreyar refused to meddle with his pupils' private lives, the six of them had been sorted into a care-and-share group.

"It's my turn to share first this time, right?" Cana asked as she looked at her old friend who nodded. "Okay … I am here because of the issue with my father," she begun. "You all know him; I guess … he's Mr Clive, Physics and Chemistry. He and my mom got married years ago … but he had to leave her because of … various reasons."

Juvia patted her hand and smiled friendly. "Did you tell your father, Cana? Juvia thinks that you are torturing yourself a little too much…" the blue-haired girl said softly.

"What could I say? 'Hi, I didn't do my homework and by the way, I am your daughter'?" the brunette sighed. "I have no idea how I should tell him, you see?"

"Well, if you would tell him like this, you would get all of us out of trouble for not doing our homework as well," Gray shrugged. "Alberona, Cana is the first one in the list after all…"

"Juvia thinks that you should simply go up to him and tell me, Cana."

"I would beat him up for you when he's mean to you," Laxus offered with a strangely soft and friendly smile which was pretty strange for him. "We are all the same after all. People broke our hearts, many times, over and over again. The ideals we believed in and our hope was kicked around multiple times … but we are still there, walking with our heads held high because when we look down, we won't see all the chances we get." He looked at Juvia who had to take notes on everything they said so that the headmaster could be sure that they actually worked. "That sounded smart – could you quote me on that?"

Ultear rolled her eyes before she toyed around with her empty cup. "Alright, it's my turn now," she said as she brushed back the strands of her hair. "The reason why I am here … it's a little bit difficult to explain but … between my parents died and Lyon's took me in, the headmaster of Grimoire Academy showed … interest in me … and when the headmaster found out, he decided that I should stay 'on the side of light and justice' to quote him."

"So we are similar after all," Laxus muttered as he stared down. "I nearly abandoned Saint Fairy for Raven High … for my father's school after I lost to Scarlet."

Cana's hand shot out before she could control it and she rested her hand on top of his. "I always said that you are too freaking proud, Dreyar," she whispered. "You said…"

"I haven't forgotten about my promise, Cana," he said calmly as he nodded at her. "So, the last three are Juvia and the cool guys."

"We are here for the same reason," Gray said. "Lyon and I at least … I don't know about Juvia because she never shared before."

"Can Juvia go first?" the blue-haired girl asked as she looked at her boyfriend of eighteen minutes. "Well, Juvia is here because of her guilt. Juvia is too blame for Gajeel-kun's injuries a year ago … she … she could have tried harder."

"Oh, Juvia," Ultear said as she hugged her carefully as sobs racked the younger girl's body. "I heard from Gajeel-san that he doesn't blame you at all. Neither you nor Wendy or Levy could had stopped him from going against the complete Sabertooth gang all alone."

"Juvia is strong – stronger than Levy-chan or Wendy-nee," the girl muttered. "Juvia should have been able to hold him back … it's only Juvia's fault."

"Oh no, Juvia," Gray said as he hugged her carefully. "It was - Natsu's fault. He was supposed to be Gajeel's backup but the stupid pink-haired nuisance was too busy making out with Lucy to remember that hey, there was another meeting he had to attend."

"Gray's right," Laxus said in agreement. "Elfman ditched the operation because Evergreen dragged him off to the cinema and Mira doesn't do those things anymore. Gajeel wasn't supposed to do this all on his own – hell, I'd helped him if I had known…"

"Even I would have been nice enough to grant him some backup if I had known that all the others had ditched him," Lyon sighed. "Anyway, Juvia, it's really not your fault."

"No one thinks that you are to blame for what happened," Ultear agreed with a smile.

"We are all to blame that we weren't there to help him when the tables turned," Gray nodded as he kissed Juvia's forehead. "But … he recovered from this … accident."

"Anyway," Lyon scoffed. "I will share for both Gray and me, yes? Master Makarov decided that we should join as well so that we would finally sort out or issues and become friends again. Hell, we are probably totally wrong here because we-"

"You are completely right here," Ultear replied softly. "You used to be such great friends a long time ago … and Master Makarov … sometimes I think that he can look straights into our souls. You are both bothered by the loss of this friendship but you won't admit it."

"And furthermore, you have tortured yourselves long enough by scowling at each other whenever you meet," Cana said in agreement. "You are really here to learn how to get along all over again – because you forgot something which is very important."

"Juvia will quote you on that, Cana," the blue-haired girl stated calmly as she looked up from her notes. "This was a great saying you just developed."

"Very well," Ultear said as she checked her watch. "Lyon and I need to leave – his mother cooked and told us to be home early. We will meet up next week again, yes?"

"Of course," Gray sighed as he got up and held out his hand to Juvia. "We should be on our way to – I treat you with cinema, alright? That would be a decent first date, right?"

It was funny how Cana felt as she watched her friends leave. In a way, it felt like they had made progress today but on the other hand, she feared that they had come closer to falling apart as well. But even if this were to happen, she would be there to remember everything. They had shed off their fears today and they had learned to be more honest with their feelings. Ultear had admitted that she liked Lyon and that she had been jealous of Juvia all along. This had allowed them to get rid of the tension which had been there for the last few weeks when Lyon had been obviously courting one girl while another was in love with him. And now, with those unspoken secrets being revealed, they would be maybe able to last – just like they had imagined when they had first formed their group.

She had never felt jealously like this. Maybe this was the reason why she and her friends would always be separated by an invisible wall.

"Cana," Laxus said as he turned around and held out his hand. "Let's go."

Her heart skipped a beat as blood rushed into her head. She knew that they would be heading straight into disaster but she didn't mind as long as he felt the same. This might be the end of their friendship but somehow, she wasn't afraid of this because even if he would play out to be her enemy, she would always wait for him to come around.


	42. Princess Charming

**42****nd****: Princess Charming**

* * *

**Summary**: _No matter what the problem would be, the men could count on the women to find either a solution or to bail them out._

* * *

Romeo groaned as he woke up. The guild fight had been terrible and he had been knocked out when a table had suddenly learned to fly and had hit him straight against the head.

"There," Wendy said as she held out a little white pill and a glass of water. "For you."

He looked up to her, eternally grateful for her and took the pill. "Thanks, Wendy," he said seriously as he got up and looked around. "This place is a mess, huh?"

"Mira-san got involved yesterday – so what did you expect?" the Sky Dragon Slayer asked with a faint smile as she brushed back her hair. "We should help to rebuild, alright?"

"Easier said when done," the young Fire Mage sighed before he picked up Happy and rested the blue cat's small body on a bench which had somehow survived. "Everyone is still out for the count … anyway, we should maybe make coffee first."

* * *

Natsu cursed as he woke up in the morning and checked the time. Happy had been out with Charle last night and so no one had thought of waking him up in the morning – and now, he was too late for Erza's wedding and this meant that he would die in a few hours.

"Coffee is ready, get into your tuxedo and hurry up a bit," a calm voice said as a perfectly styled Lucy stepped into his room. "I was worried that you might oversleep and came to check on you. Now, hurry up before we are too late for the wedding."

"I love you, Luce, I really do," he sighed before he froze. "How did you get here this fast?"

She smirked evilly. "Why, I borrowed Elfman's car of course," she replied.

* * *

Gray cursed his life, his guild and his master as he stared at the paper in front of him. Who the hell had been the genius who had decided to include a written test into the S-class exam? Whoever it was, Gray wanted to kill him or her because he had no clue what the answers were supposed to be. He looked up, brows furrowing as he watched how Levy and Freed both wrote their answers down in record speed.

A movement behind him let him freeze and he frowned as Juvia passed him on her way to the front where she handed her test to Mira who was supervising this part of the exam. As the Water Mage left the room, she stared at the ground to Gray's feet where a piece of paper lay. He picked it up, covering it by dropping his pen first and grinned before he mouthed a silent 'Thank you' as Mira was distracted by Natsu's obvious attempt to cheat.

* * *

Bixslow groaned as he saw the emptiness of his pocket where his money was supposed to be and he had to realise that he had used his last money on his bet with Evergreen about Fried which he had lost. Therefore, he had no cash to buy his food and he was hungry.

"Short on money?" the cheerful voice of Lisanna Strauss asked as she appeared behind him in the queue. "Really, you should stop betting when you are already short on money."

"I hoped that I'd win this bet 'cause I'd be rich then…" he muttered as his babies merely nodded gloomy. "Go on and laugh about me, Lisanna."

She sighed as she flipped a few coins at him. "Just to establish a fact, Bixslow: I will get that money back, alright?" she huffed before she winked at him.

* * *

"Fried, calm the hell down," Mira ordered as she frowned at her fiancé. "You are creeping me out with all that pacing around and I will punch you if you don't sit down now."

He looked at her, worried and extremely pale. "But … she's like a sister to me," he replied.

"And Evergreen is far too strong to die in childbirth," she sighed as she crossed her arms. He looked at her as he bit his lower lip. "I know that," he said stubbornly. "And I am not worried for her, anyway. I just hope that she will be back for active duty soon."

"Tsk, you make it sound like you are soldiers," she said friendly. "And, Fried, even though it seems to be rough at the moment – don't act tougher than you are. It's unbecoming."

* * *

Levy ran. Her blood rushed through her head as she finally stopped and grabbed her light pen, writing the word which would decide the outcome of the battle – Iron, with the little heart inside the o and everything. This time, it was her turn to look out for him – to save him. She brushed back a strand of her hair before she continued to write, different words this time, words like lightening or fire.

"Nice job, Shrimp," Gajeel admitted as he finished his snack.

"Good thing that you're that tall," she smirked. "It would have been complicated for me to find you otherwise. And what did I tell you about leaving my side?" she added.

"Don't you dare to get back on me for that one!" he growled.

* * *

"…It was my fault," Jellal muttered. "Even Ultear said so…"

Erza sighed deeply as she rolled her eyes. "It wasn't your fault," she said. "Everyone but maybe Laxus or Gildarts would have lost to Jura. We are all cool with that."

She knew that nothing she would say could help him to overcome his depression. He blamed himself for the loss – especially because of Ultear's snappy remark but the both female members of Crime Sorciere had sabotaged Jellal. Still, he had had a bad day and he felt like he was the one to blame for the outcome of the fight.

"There," she said as she pushed a plate with a slice of strawberry cake over to him. "Eat that and calm down for Mavis' sake. You did well. Everyone thinks so."

* * *

She hurried through the hallways, always following the directions her card showed her. Finally, she reached the door and pushed it open. True, usually it was the other way around but she couldn't care less for those things at the moment. Just as the fire attack threatened to strike him, defenceless as he was with a complete lack of magical power, she countered the attack and pushed him out of the way.

"Air Space – that's a disgusting spell," he complained as his cheeks sported a nice shade of pink – either because of the heat the Fire spell had radiated, his defeat or maybe her dress.

"I know," she said as she focused onto her opponent. "Well, time for some payback, alright? And don't feel bad, Laxus. Even your grandfather once fell under this spell. Be happy that you are younger and that you will recover faster."

"Once I finish blaming myself for being useless, I might just do this," he muttered darkly.

"Drama King," she chided. "Don't stress, Laxus-kun. Cana is here to the rescue. Consider it repayment for all the times you saved my ass, alright?"

* * *

"This was strange," Evergreen muttered as she dragged Elfman down a street as he carried her bags. "I thought that I saw Fried over there…"

"So he's stalking you all over again?" Elfman asked as he looked at his wife. "Which part of 'A man doesn't stalk his teammate' was too difficult for him?"

"I am not sure if he realised that he is considered as a male by most people," she said with an evil smirk. "Well, on the other hand, he is engaged to Mira so maybe, she finally made a man out of him and he finally realised that live is funnier if you break the rules…"

"Yeah," he nodded before he broke the arm of a poor fool who had tried to steal his money.

"We are getting in trouble for that one," she muttered as she spotted the comrades of the thief appearing in the roofs. "On the other hand, I was getting a little bit rusty anyway," she said smugly as she took off her glasses. "That's nearly ridiculously easy…"

* * *

"I'd like to drink for our women tonight," Gray said as he raised his goblet.

"Yeah," his former co-apprentice nodded as he raised his glass as well. "To our women because we'd be so lost without them."

"To our women," Alzack agreed as he nudged the master who was sitting next to him.

"To our beautiful, strong and generally amazing women," Makarov agreed.


	43. Friday, MiFri

**43****rd****: Friday**

* * *

**Summary: **_Friday was their day. End of story._

* * *

There was this woman in his guild. The one who had been a bully the last time he had seen her. Now, she had changed into everybody's darling, always smiling and helping. They used to be more alike, he concluded. They used to be two socially slightly awkward but magically extremely gifted people (she even more so than him) and now, she had been shattered when her sister had died.

She had broken his heart in a way because her fate showed that even the strongest would be broken sooner or later and that there was no escape. She had played her part well, exceptionally well. She had played the game by the rules and she had still lost. He wondered for a moment why the rules hadn't protected her from this undeserved punishment.

And now he waited for her in the guildhall. He waited for her – the woman who had changed but survived. She had lost but she hadn't been defeated. He admired this about her. He admired a lot of things about her. Her beauty and her raw strength which slept underneath her sunny smile … her voice and the way she would laugh about everyone's antics. He also liked the way she would ask him if she could brush his hair when they were alone – and always grinned smugly when she complained that his hair was silkier than hers. He also loved the way she told no one that he could play the piano because she was secretly jealous of him for this reason. She had once told him that she would have loved to learn how to play the piano but that her mother had told her that it was smarter to play the guitar because the latter could be easier transported. (According to Mira, Madame Strauss – Mavis bless her soul – had been a really gifted musician and an even better mage but a … very weird mother because she had been too lost in her arts.) But Fried loved Mira for the way she carried herself – this elegance was sometimes nearly to much for him though. He also admired the way she tried to help everyone. Sometimes he wondered how she managed to be this strong with all the ill-timed events which had nearly broken her.

Since their fight during the Battle of Fairy Tail and his apology, time had passed. The time when he had thought of her during crucial moments – Evergreen had called it daydreaming – at quests the Thundergod Tribe had taken was thankfully over – instead he went through the last nice memories of her which bothered Evergreen even more.

Sometimes – when Evergreen was especially paranoid and Bixslow's babies were just too annoying for him to bear – he really wished that he had chosen _his_ Mira as his teammate so many years ago. With her, he wouldn't have minded it when a job went downhill and everything would be terrible.

Maybe it was because he loved her but of all his nakama, she was the most important person to him – even more important than Laxus even though it was probably treason to think like this.

Finally, she appeared with a smile which reminded him of dying flowers in winter. He didn't have to be a genius to figure out that something had happened.

"Mira," he said calmly as he sat down at the bar. "Are you okay?"

For a moment, she hesitated before she lowered her head. "No," she admitted. "I am too worried for Cana. You know that the S-class exams are approaching again and well, she knows this too. She had turned down eight missions for card mages last week. Eight!"

He awkwardly patted her shoulder. "It's not your life she is ruining," he said in an attempt to calm her down a little bit. "Cana-san is a responsible woman. She knows what she is doing, I am sure of this. And you, _Mirajane-san_, you need a break."

She looked up at him. "Who will cover for me?" she asked. "I have a job to do."

"It's Friday," he said with a shrug. "No one would be mad at you if you'd take a day off. Most people are on missions anyway and those who are here … well, they are the more relaxed guys. Erza and her … team are in Era as far as I am informed…"

They were dating after all and to take her out on a stressful day seemed to be the right thing to do. He held out his hand and after a few seconds, she took it and allowed him to lead her out of the guildhall and into town.

"It is nice to be out of the guild building for a change," she admitted as she clung to his arm.

"So you don't regret saying yes?" he inquired as they crossed a crowded place. "That's fine. I was worried that you might be mad at me for talking you into abandoning your post."

She chuckled as she finally released his arm. "No, I am completely happy with that decision," she said as they went down a calmer street. "You are right, Cana's problems aren't my own … but I cannot help but worry that she might do something foolish this time."

"You are no fortune teller. You cannot know what she might plan right now," he replied.

"I know … but you know my amazing imagination," she muttered quietly. "Anyway, it's Friday and we should celebrate the fact that you finally made it home on a Friday."

"Friday is our day after all," he sighed. "I am sorry but … Ever has the strange idea that your brother is smuggling love potion into her drinks and so she forces us to stay away from Magnolia as much as possible. Still, you are right: we belong together on Fridays."

She smiled as she took his hand. "When you leave on Mondays, the day I long for is the Friday of your return," she admitted before she threw him a glare. "Should you ever repeat that, I will go all Satan Soul on you, understood?"

"Sure," he smiled. "Just like I said: Demon Mira is only asleep and waits for her return."

"Right … and you of all people should know better than to wake her up," she smirked.

"Yes," he nodded. "And you should know that it's date time today."


	44. Bets, Charle x Happy

**44****th****: Bets**

* * *

**Summary**: _She won most of the bets if Cana wasn't faster – but there was one bet, Wendy won. And she really couldn't believe that it had come to this._

* * *

The white cat glared at the brown-haired woman who grabbed the bag of jewels with a wide smirk. "How could you see this one coming when I didn't?" Charle sneered.

Cana chuckled as she nudged Gray. "I might have acted when I realised that you were about to win this bet," she said amused before she grabbed Laxus' upper arm. "C'mon, Laxus, we have dinner with daddy tonight and no, you cannot go on the S-class mission with a hundred percent probability that you will die, dear."

"Happy, you might want to reconsider if Charle is really the one for you," the blond man called over his shoulder. "To have a girlfriend with a habit to know what you are planning is a real … um … challenge. Make at least sure that it will be worth it – and if you get to the conclusion that it's not worth it – go for that green-furred girl exceed."

Charle's jaw tightened and she wanted to kill him. She remembered the first time she had seen him – in a vision. For a few weeks, she had wondered who the blond man next to Cana was in her first dream vision of the brunette card mage because she hadn't known him yet. (Now, she wished that she had never met him.) The thing about Laxus was that he had kinda called her out on her minor crush on the annoying blue-furred nuisance before and she had vehemently denied it – but to have someone knowing the truth worried her. Maybe she should find a way to eliminate the Lightening Mage.

On the other hand, the idea that Frosch were to take away Happy was bitter as well and Charle wouldn't allow this to happen because she would never lose to this freak.

"Thanks for the advise, Laxus, but I think I will stick to Charle," Happy grinned widely before he went to offer another fish to the white cat.

"Again, Tomcat?" she huffed but less annoyed this time.

* * *

"Are you jealous that Happy is on a mission with Natsu, Rogue and Frosch at the moment, Charle?" Lily asked with a wide smirk as he looked down at the only female exceed of Fairy Tail. "Well, I don't think so. You said that you aren't interested after all…"

"You are so mean to me, Lily," Charle muttered as she threw him a glare. "And why is he even hanging around that freak? The last time Natsu and Rogue-san met, it got ugly…"

"Something about tracking down the former Stellar Spirit Mage of Sabertooth … and with Sting being all angsty because of Lector's death and Minerva's betrayal, Rogue asked Natsu for help since Gajeel declined – with Levy being pregnant and all, he didn't want to leave Magnolia and so, Rogue was stuck with Natsu as partner for this mission."

"Ah well," Charle said as she clenched her jaw all over again. This was getting a little bit to normal lately for her liking. "I am going out, alright?"

"Alright, alright," Lily chuckled as he watched her fly away.

"That was an easy one," Gajeel smirked as he crossed his arms. "Poor little girl is a little bit too gullible for her own good, huh?"

"I am simply a very good liar, Gajeel," his cat said with a shrug. "And you should get back to Levy – she's already in the fifth month after all, isn't she?"

Wendy who had been sitting on a bench snorted. "You do know that babies aren't born till he ninth month?" the sixteen-year-old Sky Dragon Slayer asked amused.

"It's my kid – it would be prodigious and so it might be born earlier!" Gajeel declared.

"Please, someone shot him," Gray sighed.

A shot rang out.

"I didn't mean it literally, Bisca!"

* * *

Charle walked up to Happy who was sitting on a bench while he ate fish – surprisingly. She grabbed his shoulder and shook him roughly. "You will pick me up at seven o'clock," she announced. "You will bring me flowers and maybe even a box of Earl Grey … and then, you will take me to this new Fish Restaurant down by the river. Understood?"

Wendy gave a strange chocking sound as Cana fell from her chair. Gray and Natsu stopped their argument and Erza accidentally dropped her strawberry cake. Lucy and Levy looked up from the book they had been reading. Gajeel and Laxus turned around from where they had been fighting and stared at the exceed with wide eyes as Lily revived Wendy.

"Arrgh!" Cana exclaimed as she slammed her fist onto the table. "Wendy really won that bet? How can this even be?"

Laxus patted her shoulder with an awkward expression on his face. "There, there."

"W-Wendy won a bet?" Gajeel asked in disbelief.

"Looks like it," Gray shrugged before he punched Natsu and sent the Fire Dragon Slayer flying into Elfman who threw the 'pink-haired nuisance' as quite a few members of the guild would say into the next pillar.

"Yes, I won the bet!" Wendy grinned as she calmed down from her initial shock. "So, c'mon, guys – pay up."

"Juv-juvenile deliquent!" Lucy exclaimed.

"I really need to supervise Wendy better. Romeo ruined her completely," Charle muttered.


	45. Bright stars, NaLu

**45****th****: Bright stars**

* * *

**Summary**: _When Lucy feels a bit confused and questions a few decisions, Natsu is there to help her out with her doubts._

* * *

Every mage of Fairy Tail was different from the others. Some were stronger while others were smarter. Some used Holder Magic while others were Caster mages. A very few of them – Cana and Lucy to specify – would use both.

But no matter how different they were, they were still the same and this knowledge calmed him greatly but he didn't know why. Maybe this alikeness was to blame on the fact that every Fairy Tail mage had a more or less dark spot in his or her past. This allowed them to understand that there were things others didn't want to talk about. He knew that it was sometimes difficult to understand why they didn't ask and he also knew that Lucy probably was still confused because of this, no matter how much she tried to cover up that she didn't understand why Fairy Tail was like this.

He cared for her and one day, as she sat on the windowsill of her apartment where Gray, Erza and Happy were currently hanging out as well, he sighed. She had those days when she seemed to be caught in between who she was and who she wanted to be.

"Luce," he said as he sat down. "You are okay, aren't you?"

She nodded. "It's just so strange sometimes," she explained. "For such a long time, I wanted to be a mage of Fairy Tail and now I have been a member for a few years … and yet, it feels still completely surreal, you see?"

He grabbed her hand and held it tightly. "There," he said. "You can feel my hand so it got to be real. Everything is real. All the friends you made … all our adventures. Everything is real and it's not some kind of dream you will wake up from. And when you think about your old life … the life in wealth and luxury … you know what they say, don't you?"

She nodded. "Yeah," she agreed. "When a door closes, a window opens. Every new thing is born from the ashes of a broken thing."

"Exactly," he nodded as he patted her shoulder. "And this life … that's yours. You made it. You survived the Tenrou-Island-disaster and so many other things. You simply have to believe that this life and everything else is what was meant for you," he went on. Think of Cana and everything she went through. She knows how it feels to be in and still left out. Mira and Gray … they know how it feels to be in doubt of yourself. As a guild, we learn from each other. I learned from Lisanna that life in itself is already a miracle and from Levy that true strength might be hidden in small packages."

"I really hope that Gajeel will never hear you saying this," Gray threw in and grinned. "He beat up a few guys who called 'his Shrimp a shorty' … that guys isn't even realising that he keeps contradicting himself."

"Anyway," Natsu said as he ignored his friend/rival. "You only listen to yourself, alright, Luce? Don't care for other people's words and always keep waiting for your friends to pick you up when you should fall. Because I promise that we will be there when you feel sad."

"Thank you, Natsu," she said as she squeezed his hand. "You are right … and do you know what I learned from you and the others? To be who you want to be … because everyone in this guild is a hero in an unique way."

"Hey, I am not even a real hero," he said as he blushed slightly, remembering the same battles she remembered. He remembered Gray's defiance that would have killed him if it hadn't been for Wendy who had arrived just in time. He remembered Erza who had fought alongside Ultear as Jellal had backed up the Dragon Slayer's. (Erza had been very happy about her alliance with the Time Mage because Ultear had been able to fix any shattered armours in mere seconds when it had been necessary.) He remembered Mira's fury as someone had dared to hurt her brother and the fights that had followed.

The war against the Dark Guild Crimson Blade had taken a lot of every single mage – whether it was Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus or Crime Sorciere didn't matter. Ultear had been just as injured as Lyon or Gray at the end of everything and the only reason that Meredy hadn't joined her foster mother at the sickbay had been that Cana and Juvia had been there to conjure a wall to protect her from a nasty spell once and that Eve had been there to push her away the second time.

Yes, in the end, every mage of Fairy Tail and the other guilds was a star and together, they shone bright enough to erase the darkness their pasts caused at times and to overcome the darkness and despair the war had caused them.

Lucy admired her nakama and her comrades greatly and when she remembered the way even _Gajeel_ cared for the guild and for his comrades – the Iron Dragon Slayer had shown this when he had saved _Laxus_ of all people from a particularly dangerous attack. She sometimes nearly cried when she remembered how Cana and Juvia had fought back to back, abandoning their respective lovers for the complete battle just to watch each other's back when Fairy Tail and the others had fought and how both mages had never stopped on their way. She remembered with a smile how Levy had cheered them on from the second row when the front line had been about to give in when Evergreen had crashed to the ground, being defeated for the first time since Rustyrose. She remembered how Lisanna had saved her by taking the spell for her and how her heart had been nearly broken as the youngest Strauss-sibling had passed out. She also remembered how Rogue who had joined Lamia Scale after Sabertooth's disbandment had engaged a stellar spirit mage into a battle to take the keys – Corona Australis and Corona Borealis – and to give them to Yukino after the Stellar Spirits of the Southern Crown and the Northern Crown had terminated their respective contracts with their summoner. This action had been the kindest thing Rogue had ever done for anyone and Lucy remembered how Mira had been tempted to match make the both former Sabertooth mages.

It had been a terrible battle with many injuries and tears. Blood had been spilled on both sides and ultimately, the fight had been decided by Juvia's wrath. As a Water Mage she had had natural advantage against the Fire Mage who happened to be the guild master and Mavis had informed her that she would be necessary for the crucial part of the mission so Juvia had trained with Natsu previously and after Natsu, every Fire Mage seemed to be merely a bad joke. Furthermore, Gajeel had remarked that back in the days of Element, the Fire Specialist of the team had never stood longer than mere seconds against the blue-haired woman.

Still, Juvia had gotten hurt – and Natsu had blamed himself for _not training her enough._

But in the end, they were Fairy Tail and so they had somehow managed to win the battle – even with the odds against her. At the celebratory party, Fried had said that he couldn't wish for better nakama and that they were all perfect in their weird ways. (Bixslow who had borrowed his babies to Lisanna so that she could move around without trouble had been too busy admiring aforementioned Takeover Mage to notice the jib.)

"So many people got hurt…" she whispered, trying not to stare at the cast around Gray's arm and the bright white bandage on Erza's forearm.

"Yes," he said in agreement. "I wouldn't have guessed that even Ultear would get hurt like this … and Jellal's injury too…"

"That fool was showing of in front of Erza, Ultear said," Gray threw in with a grin.

"He lllliikes her!" Happy announced but this wasn't surprising to anyone.

"We acted like fools in that situation," Erza said as she fought back her blush and won. "We had so many amazing mages and we had the strategy. We should have won against Crimson Blade without any injuries on our side. They weren't all that great."

"I agree," Lucy muttered. "Do you still remember how shocked everyone was when Jura got injured? He is a Wizard Saint!"

"So was Jellal," Erza shrugged. "The thing is, however, that we needed to learn that victory sometimes comes only at a high price. This was our lesson and we learned it quite well. I am actually surprised that we weren't forced to learn this earlier." She got up. "C'mon, Gray, we go visit Juvia and Jellal, alright?"

"Yeah," the Ice Mage said. "Let's just hope that we aren't thrown out again."

Lucy chuckled softly as watched them leave.

"Never doubt yourself, Luce," Natsu said with a grin. "You will only end up frowning and that will give you ugly, ugly wrinkles."

She threw a pillow at him. "We were just having a serious conversation and you have to ruin it like this?" she snorted. "Seriously, Natsu, you need to grow up, you hear?"

He laughed as he threw the pillow back at her. "Looks like everyone in this guild is matching up, huh?" he shrugged. "I mean … even Gajeel and Laxus have mates now … and I am quite suspicious about Wendy and Romeo too…"

"That's about as obvious as Elfman and Evergreen or Alzack and Bisca," Lucy said as she rolled her eyes. "Seriously, you have to be blind not to see this happening."

"Well, what I originally wanted to ask you … willgotothispartywithme?"

"Sorry, but I didn't get the last part of your sentence," she said as she bit her lower lip.

"There is this party … and I think we should go together because we fought together. I'd even buy you flowers and do all that courtesy stuff Freed does for Mira," he muttered as he stared at the ground. "See, we can go only as friends if you rather have it this way but-"

"Sure, let's go there together," she nodded. "Let's make it a date."

* * *

**AN**: _I firmly believe that Natsu isn't dumb. I actually think that he's pretty smart but that he's too busy running into the biggest mess available to make some use of his brain._


	46. Third Wheel, Lisanna x Bixslow

**46****th****: Third Wheel**

* * *

**Summary**: _They had been the third wheel for too long and it was only natural that they got to know each other better._

* * *

Saturday meant date night for Evergreen, Elfman, Mirajane and Fried – and hours of horror and dread for Lisanna and Bixslow because when their siblings/teammates went out, they were basically forced to join them – and neither of them actually appreciated to watch the shameless flirting and cooing the others did. Usually, Bixslow got drunk as fast as possible because this would be the only valid reason why he would be allowed to leave earlier but this time they were in a restaurant where the alcohol was _out_. The male mage swore that he would question Laxus where he and Cana had been the day before and if the restaurants were the same, he would kill the Lightening Mage's girlfriend.

Lisanna on the other side of the table groaned as Mira kept gazing dreamily at her boyfriend because this was disgusting. She hadn't mind being stuck with her siblings all the time at the beginning because after the Edolas-issue, she was more than happy that she was able to spend time with them at all – but this was a little bit too much for her. Mira's dreamy gaze and Elfman's attempts on being a gentleman were a little bit too much for her and she really wondered which kind of alien had kidnapped her siblings to turn them into nearly brainless creatures as soon as they were close to their respective partners.

Fortunately, Mira heard the soft noise and looked at her sister for a moment. "Oh dear, Lisanna, are you feeling alright? You look all pale and … unwell…"

Lisanna was too smart to miss the permission to leave when she heard it and tried to look even paler. "Well, the cake this afternoon might have been a little bit too much," she said as she tried to give a perfect impression of suffering.

"Elfman…" Mira looked at their brother as she bit her lower lip. "You should escort her home. It's late at night and … well, we never know what kind of person is out there…"

But just like Lisanna, Bixslow was also too willed to get away to miss the chance. "I can bring her home," he offered smoothly. "You shouldn't interrupt your date."

"Yes, he is right," Lisanna said quickly as doubt crossed her sister's face. "Bixslow will escort me home and you can go on with your date. I prefer it this way. Elfman just came back from a hard job, Mira-nee, let him enjoy is night out, yes?"

"Yeah, be nice to him," Bixslow said as he waved. "I will take care of the younger Miss Strauss – I promise, Mirajane."

"When he promises something, he will keep it at any cost," Evergreen stated calmly. "Even if someone would manage to kidnap Lisanna after defeating him, he would get her back in mere minutes. He is that kind of man, you see?"

"See you tomorrow, Mira-nee, Elf-nii," the youngest sibling said quickly as she took her jacket and smiled at them before she nodded at Bixslow. "Let's go," she said quickly.

They left the restaurant and walked in silence until he broke the spell.

"You aren't really sick, are you?" he asked.

"I was getting sick with that sickly sweet atmosphere," she corrected. "I was merely avoiding a situation that would have made me really, really sick."

"Yeah, and that was really cheeky of you, Miss Strauss," he said amused. "I was thinking about ways to get out as well but without any alcohol available it was nearly impossible until you decided to be a real genius."

She chuckled as she looked back at him. "Since we ditched them … we could go and pull a prank on Gray," she suggested with a gleeful sparkle in her eyes. "I owe him one for getting bubblegum in my hairs when I was trying to grow it out."

"While I think that you look pretty nice with your short hair, I am in for the prank," he replied as they headed for the Strauss' siblings house. "Do you already have a plan, Lisanna?"

"Well, he hasn't really made a move on Juvia, huh? I think that a faked love letter to our favourite water mage from a certain silver-haired ice mage might just do the trick – and I get to laugh at his expense."

"It's true what they say about you and Levy … you may seem innocent and cute but you really have your mean moments if someone hits a nerve."

* * *

Gray was hanging out at the guildhall with Gajeel, drowning his misery in alcohol and feeling utterly terrible as Lisanna entered, dragging an unhappy Bixslow along. Little did he know that his misery would increase in the next few minutes.

"Listen, Gray," Lisanna said seriously as she bit her lower lip. "Did you see Juvia? I got a love letter which is directed at her today and well, I wanted to make sure that she gets it."

"A love letter for Juvia?" Gajeel snickered. "That's hilarious."

"Yeah, and I really thought that you'd be capable of getting the right address, Fullbuster," Bixslow added with a smirk. "You were the one who wrote the love letter, right?"

"Uhm, no?" the Ice Mage muttered, clearly unable to think properly because of the alcohol he had consumed so far. "Why do you think so?"

"Cause you love her, man! Everyone with eyes can see that – it's about as obvious as your fire-friendly friend and the Queen of Cosplay," the older mage said amused. "Or Iron Brain and the Bookworm. It's simply obvious."

Lisanna nodded. "Yes," she said. "I also thought that you wrote that letter. Who else should be brave enough to write Juvia a love letter? The last one who tried to court her had a run-in with Gajeel after all…"

"Hey, I am not to blame for that one! The Stripper did quite a lot too!"

"Give me that letter," Gray ordered and grabbed it before he frowned. "Lyon…"

Bixslow suddenly started to admire Lisanna's abilities at forging handwritings.

"Oh really?" the Takeover Mage said innocently.

"I go and look for her," Gray muttered before he hurried away.

* * *

"…that was far better than watching them flirt," Bixslow decided as they sat on a bench by the river, the babies flying over their heads and randomly repeating their words.

"Agreed," the white-haired woman said amused as she inhaled the fresh air. "And I got the best payback on Gray as well while I helped a friend. I think that it was a rather productive day – and I think that I am a better matchmaker than Mira too."

"Maybe we should keep matchmaking instead of attending the dates…"

"Yeah, would be smarter, I guess."

"Next Saturday we should take care of Gajeel and Levy. It's annoying me that they aren't together yet … and Romeo and Wendy should get together too…"

"We really should keep matchmaking," she said amused. "But what about us?"

"Well, I don't think that we need a matchmaker."


	47. Kings and Queens, Mystwalker

**47****th****: Kings and Queens**

* * *

**Summary: **_A promise which was made when they were children. A promise he broke against his will and a promise she wished that he had kept. A second chance came around - finally._

* * *

_They were children once. Innocent little children who liked playing the in the garden of the castle and who also liked to skip their lessons – for the prince of Edolas and his chosen childhood friend they were really normal children._

_The blue-haired boy and his red-haired friend were currently hiding from their teacher in an empty storage room, sitting under a table and trying to keep quiet. The girl's head had fallen onto the boy's shoulder and he had wrapped her coat around her._

_"You know, Er-chan, when I will be king, you will be my queen," he suddenly announced as he grinned at her. "I will never leave you. I promise, alright?"_

_She looked at him, at his bright smile and his aura of cheerfulness and optimism. "Sure," she nodded as she hastily wiped away a stray tear. "We will be together – forever."_

_"That's a nice idea," he grinned as he handed her a handkerchief. "I made up a new story with my cousin's help yesterday when you had to attend your sister's wedding and we couldn't go with you. It's the story about a hero called Mystogan and his beautiful partner Ruby and how they save the world from evil things. My aunt said that it's an amazing story."_

_"Can you tell me?" the girl asked as she bit her lower lip. "Please!"_

_"Sure," he said as he hugged her tightly. "Alright, Mystogan and Ruby somehow got lost and are in a foreign world and so…"_

* * *

He watched her as she moved through the room, dusting of flat surfaces as she looked back at him every few seconds – just like she was making sure that he was still there … that he hadn't left her behind again. To him, she was still the girl she had been so many years ago but when he had left, he had taken the only light in her life with him and so she had grown up to be cold and dangerous. He had broken a promise without wanting to. She had only asked him to stay with her and he had promised that he would never leave her but then he had been forced to break this promise.

Today, so many years later, it seemed like the old friendship was withering like a flower in autumn and he really knew that he had to do something in order to keep her as his best friend. He silently rose from his chair where he had been waiting and rested his hands on her shoulder. He had to be careful because right now, the last thing he wanted was a broken nose and blood all over his white shirt. "Er-chan," he said calmly as he sighed. "Would you please relax for a moment?"

She looked at him. "I am trying to make sure that no one kills you mere hours before you are made king," she said as she crossed her arms. "The sun is nearly down as you can see. It will start very soon. We should get ready for this."

"Er-chan…" he sighed, patting her shoulder. "Look around: I am perfectly fine. C'mon, relax a little bit before you puke all over the crown. We both know that your stomach tends to rebel against you when you are too tensed."

She looked at him. "That's exactly why I haven't eaten anything since yesterday morning," she said, probably a little bit too proudly.

"You are a fool!" he hissed as he grabbed her wrist. "C'mon, we will be back in time."

"W-where are we going? You cannot leave now!" she hissed back at him.

"You will faint because you haven't eaten anything. We had this before," he replied as he dragged her down the stairs. "And the ceremony cannot begin without me anyway."

* * *

_"W-we will get in trouble for this one!" the red-haired girl said as she followed her friend down the stairs that led to the kitchens. "We are banned from here, remember?"_

_"Ah, don't worry, Er-chan," he replied amused. "I am the prince and we won't get in trouble for being here. If anything, we will get extra cake just because we look nice today."_

_She snorted as she looked at her reflection for a moment. She looked girly and she hated it but her mother had asked her to wear this dress and her mother could be quite scary if she wanted to. "If you say so…" she muttered._

_"Ultear promised that she'd cover for us up at the hall," the prince grinned, momentarily remembering his distanced cousin who had come to visit for the Winter Ball._

_Erza snorted. The little princess with her beautiful indigo hair and her moonbeam pale face was the reason why she was in a bad mood since she had heard that the only other person Prince Jellal would ever talk to without having to be forced to first would attend the ball too. It wasn't even that she hated Ultear because the other girl was a tough one too and pretty much the most awesome person she knew but – she was jealous because Ultear was so pretty and so ladylike when she actually bothered to behave that Erza simply had to be mad at her._

* * *

To sneak into the kitchen was a little bit more difficult than it used to be when they had been children because the security had been tightened for the ceremony and on their way they even spotted the infamous Shadow Gear which had been Fairy Tail's strongest team. Jellal who remembered sweet, kind Earthland-Levy from his time in the other guild sometimes wondered how she could have such a rough counterpart but then again, there was a difference between Erza Knightwalker and Erza Scarlet as well.

"Alright, we are nearly there," Jellal whispered as he opened a secret passage. "Look, some things are still the same – such as me getting you to break rules and stuff like this."

She glared at him. "If word gets out that I am actually nice to you when we don't have an audience, I will personally behead you," she said but the mischievous glint in her eyes stayed the same as it had been when they had been kids and while he had been the mastermind behind all the pranks they had pulled, she had been the innocent smile to cover up that they were planning something. To hang out with him – even if it was technically her duty – made her remember those better days.

"Dutifully noted," he smirked as they finally reached the kitchen. "Let me guess … The most honourable judge will keep talking for quite a while 'cause she's probably too happy that I found my way home to realise that she is annoying her audience…"

"Your aunt loves you and let her enjoy her time onstage. She has been hiding for a long time … your father wasn't nice to his sister-in-law after all."

* * *

_"…you aren't surprised at all, are you?" the red-haired woman asked sharply as she looked at the black-haired woman who sat on the other side of the table, one hand lazily rested on the hilt of a sword but it was obviously more than a precaution than a sign of laziness._

_"How could I, Erza?" the woman asked tiredly. "I saw this coming."_

_"Princess Ultear, would you mind to tell me what exactly you are thinking right now?"_

_"I think many things and while I am not keen on sharing all of them, I believe that I should share one of my thoughts with you, Erza," the princess said with a faint smirk. "You either were in love with him when he disappeared or you fell in love with him after he was gone. No matter which way your heart chose, you are in love with him."_

_"You are ridiculous. The time you spend at the court greatly mellowed your brain."_

_"And yet, I am the only one who ever managed to defeat you in a fair spar to the day," the black-haired princess grinned. "I don't get why you keep denying it like this anyway, Erza. There are worse things than to be in love with a childhood friend. And when he comes home … I am sure that he will protect you. No one will be able to hurt you when he is back."_

_"Should he ever return, it will be a civil war. You know that too, Ultear."_

_"Of course I do but I know where my loyalties lie," she replied smoothly. "And if you are honest, it's already war out there. Even you have to admit that the king is going too far with his hatred against the guilds. Magic shouldn't belong to a single person."_

_"You know that these words are treason, do you?"_

_"Sweetie, and do you really think that I fear banishment?" the princess asked as she crossed her arms. "When I was a little child, when we were children, we used to sing the songs Jellal's mother taught us. Sometimes, I remember these songs."_

_"The music is gone for a long time, Ultear," the redhead snapped._

_"Don't tell me that you aren't hearing it as well," the slightly older soldier grinned before she slipped away, into the shadows and out of sight and mind._

* * *

"Tsk, whoever doesn't know you wouldn't have expected this to happen but I know better than that, huh?" a familiar voice sighed as Ultear slipped out of the shadows. "One might think that you are still children, kids."

Jellal had heard that she had returned from wherever his father had banned her to but he hadn't been prepared for this. Ultear had been the epitome of a classical beauty with her long black hair and her pale face. Her hair was short, shorter than even Erza's and her face was marred by a red scar that reached from her ear to her chin. But she still smirked the way she had before and as she winked, he couldn't help but blush because she knew. She had to know – because she had always known.

"Sneaking around while my mother holds her speech?" the princess went on. "You two surely got naughty without me around to control you."

"Ultear," Jellal growled as he tried to get her to shut up. "Would you mind to leave?"

She rolled her eyes. "Touchy, touchy, dearest King," she said amused but disappeared.

"So she isn't using magic for that trick," Erza muttered as she frowned slightly.

"What do you mean?" the blue-haired man asked confused.

"I was always wondering how she does this disappearing-in-the-shadows-thing … especially since sometimes there weren't any shadows to begin with when she disappeared on us. But without any magic around, she cannot use it for her mysterious act."

"Yeah … one day, we might end up uncovering her secret. Anyway, we should get back before the ceremony reaches the point when I am supposed to enter," he said as he held out his hand. "I hope you can run in high-heels, general."

She glared at him as she took his hand. "Be happy that I didn't kill you yet," she said.

"If you kill me now, I will never get to fulfil my promise," he shrugged. "And you will never get to hear how the story of the heroes Mystogan and Ruby ended." He gathered his entire courage and wrapped his arms around her before he planted a kiss onto her lips. "You do know that I love you, Er-chan, so don't be mean now, yes?" he muttered as he pulled back.

"Interesting enough that this is the second time that you end up kissing me," she stated. "It seems like I am not scary enough at the moment…"

"Nah, you just don't want to kill your fiancé," he said with a wink.

"While I know that the king is allowed to promote people as he sees it fitting, I cannot remember that he's also allowed to decide whom he wants to marry without asking first."

"I asked you a long time ago," he said. "And you do remember this as well as I do, Erza."


	48. Strawberry Cake, Jerza

**48****th****: Strawberry Cake**

* * *

**Summary**: _A more or less serious conversation … a few days at the beach … old love – and strawberry cake result in a very … interesting mix._

* * *

The red-haired woman smirked at the blue-haired man who sat in a dark room as he stared out the window where stars gleamed brightly. She closed the door behind her as she crossed the room and sat down on an empty chair.

"You have been hiding here all the time since your guild reached the beach resort as well," she stated calmly as she crossed her arms. "Even Ultear is swimming and challenging others to little spars like there is no tomorrow and Meredy has been enjoying herself as well. You are the only one who stays away from everyone … and even Lyon who seems to be avoiding Ultear lately isn't as bad as you are, Jellal."

"He has been avoiding here because he is scared of getting a nosebleed when he sees her in her bikini," Jellal said drily. "She has to be very disappointed. She chose the bikini to get his attention after all … pretty pathetic for her usual standards."

"You should show more understanding for her situation, Jellal," she said with a sigh. "True, this is pathetic for her standards but you have to be avoiding someone as well, don't you?"

He paused for a moment. "Yeah," he finally admitted. "But for different reasons, alright?"

"Mind to share?" she asked as she raised one eyebrow. "I don't want to annoy you but the reason why we are here is that we all get to relax after the Crimson Blade disaster and you seem to be tense every time I see you somewhere."

"Someone has to be on guard all the time, right?" he asked with a faint smile. "See, Erza, I hardly did anything productive during the fights so I need to do my part now."

She rolled her eyes as she took a bite from her strawberry cake. "Compared to Juvia, everyone did a bad job," she shrugged, "but that's alright now because it's finally over and we can relax now. C'mon, you should join us at the pool tomorrow."

"The last time I did just that … it didn't end well as you might remember," he said as a deep blush covered his face. "I think it's saver for me to stay inside – in save distance."

She chuckled. "You aren't really avoiding me because of this, are you?" she asked. "Really, Jellal, I know that you didn't this on purpose. By the way, you are in good company with that incident … Gray accidentally did the same to Juvia when they first met."

"I never thought that he would be indecent enough to do this _mere minutes_ upon meeting."

She sent him a glare. "So you think that it would have been alright if they had known each other a little bit better before he froze her body and touched her indecently?" she growled.

"Hell, of course not – he did paralyse her first? That's ungentlemanly!"

"There, take a slice of strawberry cake and relax, Jellal," she sighed. "You should know that he didn't do this on purpose. He even said that he nearly fainted when he realised what he had just done … and I believe as much."

The blue-haired man gladly accepted the once-in-a-lifetime-chance to get strawberry cake while she was around. "Say, what's going on between Wendy and the little fire mage anyway?" he asked. "While I was watching you guys from the roof today, I spotted them hiding in one of the apartment buildings … and they seemed to have a sunburn … _both_."

"If Romeo dares to put a single hand onto innocent little Wendy, I'll have to kill him … slowly and painfully!" she threatened. "Just because he grew into the _cute teenage boy stage_ while I was gone, he shouldn't believe that he'd get away with such things…"

The blue-haired man rolled his eyes. "Either you are really that overprotective which I doubt or you are slightly jealous because you haven't been kissed yet," he said before he suddenly realised that this had been a very stupid thing to say because her face darkened.

"H-how did you figure this one out?" she asked hoarsely, looking extremely vulnerable for a split second. "I didn't tell anyone … hell, I lied to Levy when she asked me a few years ago … Lucy never doubted it anyway…"

"I believed it to be strange if you had gotten your first kiss while I am still waiting for mine," he shrugged. "You should have seen Ultear's face when she tried me to get to tell Meredy a few things about the Birds and the Bees and I had to admit that I hadn't even have my first kiss … let's say it this way … we all had trouble in that department."

"Having a bounty on your head surely doesn't make it any easier to get your first kiss, huh? Ultear is really pretty so she won't have any trouble with getting a first kiss … but I have my doubts that someone might dare to kiss you…" She smirked impishly. "Well, I heard that even your Edolas-counterpart had a girlfriend once … and you are forever alone!"

For a moment he wondered why she was acting this silly and tensed at the same time before he realised that she had been spending a whole day in the sun – without a hat on her head and he knew that she often had trouble with staying all business afterwards.

Suddenly, she leaned in and placed a chaste kiss onto his lips before she pulled back and in this split second, she came back to her senses and her eyes widened. "Oh my god, what did I just do?" she whispered as she slapped herself. "I am so, so sorry, Jellal! I am so-"

A pair of lips onto hers shut her up. "Relax, Erza," he said. "It's no big deal."

She glared at him after he had pulled back and seemed to count down the three seconds left to the moment in which she would requip and beat the hell out of him. "Jellal…"

"Erza," he replied with a smirk. "Say, what kind of lipstick do you use because it totally tasted like strawberry cake? Or wait a moment … maybe it was strawberry ice cream…" He kissed her again, desperately hoping that this would prevent his untimely death. "No, definitively strawberry cake," he muttered.

She calmed down after inhaling and exhaling a few times and bit her lower lip. "Are you sure that we are doing this kissing-thing right?" she asked as she tilted her head.

He relaxed as he realised that she wasn't going to murder him. "Uh, I don't know," he admitted. "I think it's pretty good but if you'd like to try again…"

"Yeah, I think that we can still improve," she said with a serious nod. "And before you feel strange for doing this … _I know."_

He froze inwardly – and this wasn't like that one time Ultear had gotten him with an Ice Make Flower during their training. This time, it happened deep inside. She knew. She knew what he had tried to hide so desperately albeit pretty clumsily according to his nakama.

"So … if you know…" he muttered with a moment of hesitation.

"…I also happen to feel the same, don't worry," she said as she raised her hands. "I'd never go around kissing someone I have no feelings for."

"T-that's good…"


	49. Fortunetelling, Laxana AU

**49****th****: Fortunetelling**

* * *

**Summary**: _Ivan's fortune tellers were the main problem they'd have to face during their invasion. He and his commander had both known this but they hadn't believed the problem to be like this._

* * *

Raven's Castle wasn't only a castle. There was also a village inside the walls and the complete fortress was the heart of Duke Ivan's realm. The evil man had chosen to fight against his father, the rightful king, and held currently the queen who happened to be his own mother hostage.

But for King Makarov, this wasn't a reason to give in yet. Quite the opposite – he had sent out the best warriors of his army to retrieve the queen and to reinstate the kingdom's power in the complete country.

"I am tired," Mirajane, one of the few women in the army, complained as she looked out for trouble. "Seriously, we should have gotten further to this damned castle before we got off our horses. Gildarts – what's the plan anyway?"

"You, Erza and most of the others will engage the castle's army into a fight while Laxus and I go to retrieve our queen," the most experienced fighter said with a shrug. "It's not much of a plan but we are sure that we will win anyway."

"Both Erzas?" Natsu asked with a wide grin. "That will be funny."

The rougher of the twins slapped him and left a crimson mark on his face. "It's still Captain Knightwalker to you," she declared with a low hiss as she glared at him. If looks had the ability to kill, she would have murdered the pink-haired man many times along the years.

"Er-chan," her childhood friend said calmly as he rested one hand on her shoulder. _"Relax."_

She threw a glare at him before she lowered her head as the storm inside her soul calmed down. It was handy for the king to keep Mystogan around Knightwalker most of the time because if it wasn't like this, the woman would end up killing many of her comrades.

"Gildarts," Laxus, the crown prince of the country, said as he caught up with the older man. "Why didn't you tell them of the special job we have to fulfil?"

"You just said it: it's our duty," the reddish-haired man said as he hurried up a little bit. "I see no point in burdening the others if it's only our duty to shed innocent blood … as innocent the blood of those women might be."

The reason why it had taken them so many months to prepare the attack was easily explained: Ivan had two fortune-tellers who would have told him everything … from the strength of their army to the exact position of every single fighter. Gildarts hated Ivan even more than any other member of the army hated the renegade prince because Ivan's army had destroyed his old village and so his complete life because among the dead had been his wife and so his future. Gildarts had married quite young, a beautiful woman from aforementioned village and when the village had been destroyed, the man had prayed that his wife would be save … but Cornelia had disappeared and no body had ever been found.

"Gildarts…" the blond man said but he understood his superior's outrage. Everyone knew how much the man had loved his wife and to make things even worse, his little daughter had been killed as well and according to Ur who had been little Cana's babysitter a long time ago, the girl had been a splitting image of her mother. It was also a known fact that Gildarts had adored his daughter – which was already proved by the fact that he had organised the best babysitter in the complete kingdom to take care of his daughter when he and his wife had been on their journeys.

"Let's go, Laxus," the older man said as they slipped through an open door. "You have my eternal gratefulness, Ultear," he said as he nodded at the black-haired woman who wore a servant's outfit. "You can get out of those disgracing clothes now and join the battle."

"About time," the woman snorted as she unbound her hair. "And you don't do anything foolish, alright? This is probably the only chance we will ever get … and I refuse to lower myself into such a position ever again."

"Understood, general," he said before he nodded at Laxus. "We should hurry up now."

"Ultear-san!" Erza Scarlet said as she bowed slightly. "So you did the infiltration?"

Neither of the men bothered to wait for a response as they hurried down a set of stairs to the position where the fortune-tellers were supposed to be because they had to die first.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Laxus admitted as they approached the core of the core.

"I feel it as well but as warriors of our kingdom, we cannot afford to think like this," the older man said as he kicked down a door. "After you, Prince Laxus."

They entered the centre of the castle and if they bothered to be honest, they weren't surprised when a pair of guardians stepped into their way. Gildarts was slightly surprised when he recognised those guardians as Juvia Lockser and Gray Fullbuster who belonged to their army. The duo was surely extremely skilled and since they thought before they acted it actually made a lot of sense that they had taken part at the infiltration as well but somehow, they seemed to be ready to fight for their foes' sake.

"Wait a moment, Gildarts-sama," Gray said as he raised one hand at them. "Something is very off about the fortune-tellers. Ivan … he is very angry at them since a few days."

"Wait and listen, Juvia feels like the king was misinformed," the blue-haired woman nodded as she mentioned towards the door.

_"…what do you mean, you didn't see this happening?"_ Ivan's angry voice yelled. _"Woman, the only reason why I let you live so far is that you can tell the future. So you really claim that you couldn't see a complete army getting closer!"_

_"Let go of my mother!"_ a young woman screamed. _"We really didn't see this happening. We are just as confused about this as you are angry! Oh, please don't hurt her!"_

_"Worthless scum!"_ Ivan hissed as he threw someone to the ground. _"I keep you around so that someone tells me when my worthless father makes his move – and you cannot even see how he mobilises his best fighters? You are truly useless, women!"_

_"Do not insult my daughter, Ivan,"_ a woman ordered strictly as whoever had been on the ground rose again. _"I can tolerate that you insult me … but I will never forgive you if you insult my only daughter – you are the one who messed up and I refuse to tolerate your evil doings a moment longer. I am only here because I cannot leave. Never misunderstand my forced servitude as loyalty, _**your highness**," she spat.

Gildarts stumbled before he fell down to his knees. "C-Cornelia…" he whispered. "Oh dear … Cornelia … why … no … how?"

"Gildarts-sama?" Gray asked as he looked at his commander who was kneeling on the ground. "Wasn't Cornelia-sama your wife? But she died so many years ago…"

"Anyway, if the fortuneteller is truly Gildarts' wife, she's a citizen of our kingdom and as a such, she needs our assistance right now!" Laxus announced as he took another step towards the door. "And if we can take out Ivan now, it would be easier for us as well."

"Wait a moment," Juvia said as she sneaked up to the door. "Ivan is already gone … and it seems like the older woman is crying for some reason."

"We will enter now," Gildarts ordered as he collected himself. "We will evacuate them both … even if I will lose my position and everything, I refuse to spill her blood today."

"Understood," Laxus said as Gray finally opened the door.

The Room of Fortune was strangely homely compared to other rooms in the castle with nice furniture and a wooded floor instead of cold stone. But the floor was covered in blood and in the middle of this pool of blood lay a brown-haired woman with purpleish blue eyes and the most beautiful face Laxus had ever seen. Next to her knelt the older woman, obviously her mother and held her hand was she cried bitterly.

"C-Cornelia?" Gildarts stuttered as he reached out before he withdrew his hand. "C-Cana?"

The older woman turned her head and looked up at him with tearfilled eyes. "G-Gildarts…" she whispered as she held out her hand. "He … he … he stabbed her…"

"M-mommy…" the young woman chocked out as she held out her hand as well and somehow managed to grab both her mother's and her father's hand. "I … I am sorry…"

"No, I am sorry," her mother replied. "I saw Death getting closer to you today but I was so sure that I would be able to prevent it … I am sorry, Cana … but I know that you won't forgive me for gambling at the price of your life."

"Alright, this would be enough for now," a sharp voice said as a pink-haired woman pushed her way into the room and caused Gray to stumble over his own feet before he crashed into Juvia and the two ended up in a very … strange position. "Get out of my way, Gildarts, and comfort your wife for Mavis' sake while you let me do my job. Jeez, and there are still people who are wondering why I hate humans that much!"

"G-Grandmother!" Laxus exclaimed as he evacuated himself from her range and nearly tripped over Juvia and Gray in progress.

"Yeah, yeah … don't tell me that you guys really believed that Ivan is manly enough to keep his poor old mother in a dark, smelly cell," she said as she rolled her eyes and placed her hands onto the ugly gash on Cana's side. "Tsk, Ivan is too much of a wimp to do something like this … and probably too scared that I'd sent him up to his room without dinner!"

* * *

The brunette woman woke up and the first thing she felt was the absence of pain. The last thing she had remembered before she had passed out had been the searing pain in her side and now, it was gone. For a moment, she wondered whether she had died or whether she had been healed and numbed again – she had been there before after all, that one time she had tried to escape her prison.

"Oh, so you are awake, yes?" a kind-looking blue-haired girl whispered as she smiled friendly at her. "Can you sit up? You look like you need something decent to eat … no wonder why Prince Laxus was so mad because you are too light…"

"W-where am I?" the brunette woman asked as she felt confusion washing over her.

"In Magnolia, why?" the girl asked. "To be exact: you are in Prince Laxus' mansion … he brought you and your mother in two years ago. You weren't supposed to wake up today so she is in the main castle to visit King Makarov."

"Does this mean … that I am not longer in Raven's Castle?" the woman asked.

"Yes," the girl smiled. "You are home, Lady Clive. The nightmare is over. My name is Wendy Marvel, I work as a healer at the castle but the prince asked me to come here to take care of you. You had all of us worried, you know?"

"I didn't even believe that I'd survive," the fortuneteller said softly. "It seemed too real that I would lose my life in this place…"

"The queen patched you up and the prince hurried you to this place."

* * *

"You, my friend, are in love," Evergreen announced as she grinned at the prince. "And don't even try to deny it. Those eyes don't miss a thing."

"Did I ever mention that there are moments when I want to grab a lightening bolt and ram it down your throat?" he asked innocently.

"Yeah, quite a few times," she shrugged. "Anyway, who is the lucky girl – and what are you going to do now? I mean … I never counted on the probability that you might fall in love … and now, you are a socially awkward guy who wants to court a poor girl…"

"So, what would you suggest?" the blond man asked with a sigh.

"Guys," the woman said as she looked at the door. "Fried, you teach him some manners while I go through his wardrobe and pray that I find something nice for him to wear."

"Understood, Ever," the green-haired man nodded as he approached the prince. "You see, Laxus, the woman is a quite complicated being and she might end up doing things you won't understand. Look at me – I have been married for three years now and I still don't get everything Mira does."

"And we also don't get everything Ever does," Bixslow threw in from where he was lounging on the windowsill. "So don't get impatient when she does something you cannot understand … and don't forget that she was kept hostage by daddy dearest _for years._"

"H-how do you even know-?"

"We saw you carrying her to this place … and we have Ever's female intuition on our side while you are left in the dark," the seithr mage said as he shrugged. "Ah well, according to Lisanna, the sleeping beauty finally awoke."

"Calm the hell down, Laxus!" Evergreen ordered as he made an attempt to leave the room and grabbed his arm. "She was a prisoner for years and now you really wanna storm into her room where she is recovering from torture and a near death experience? Are you fucking crazy, man? If you want to, I might organise a dinner with her for you…"

* * *

Cana was relaxing in her room when a brunette woman entered and placed a beautiful box on the chair. A perfectly executed bow later, the woman presented herself. "I am Evergreen, one of Prince Laxus' personal assistants," she announced proudly. "Bixslow and Fried – my co-workers – are probably securing this room 'cause Laxus is a little bit paranoid and fears that his father might attempt to steal you back again. Anyway, Laxus would like to eat together with you this evening and so I brought you a dress."

"Understood," the younger woman nodded tiredly. "So … um … what kind of person is Prince Laxus … and what's my position at the moment?"

"Laxus … he's a loveable jerk because most of the time, he offends people without meaning to do so because he is socially awkward. And you are a guest – you can leave whenever you want to. You aren't a prisoner and whether you want to use your talent or not is only yours to decide. Personally, I wouldn't do so because this would mean that you don't have to see the frontlines."

"Understood … so I shouldn't be offended at anything?"

"When he goes to far, slap him once and he will realise his mistake."

* * *

Laxus waited in his great hall for his guest to arrive and when she finally appeared, escorted by Evergreen who excused herself moments later, he couldn't help but admire her beauty. He had known that she was beautiful but he hadn't expected this kind of beauty. He cleared his throat and bowed slightly before he held out his hand. "Lady Clive, correct?" he asked, hoping desperately not to scare her away.

"Cana will be enough," she replied equally awkwardly. "Lady Clive is my mother."

"So I will be simply Laxus," he decided as he led her towards the table. "I hope that you are content with your accommodations so far, Cana-san."

"It is far better than the previous one," she stated drily as she nodded slightly.

And no matter how awkward their words were, the feeling they wanted to convey reached the other person's heart correctly. They knew without having to say it.


	50. Stronger, Levy

**50****th****: Stronger**

* * *

**Summary**: _Once, she had been weak. Once, she had been pushed around. Once, she had let other people define her. Now, she was stronger. Now, she made her own rules for her life. Now, she was happier._

* * *

No matter how long she had been in Fairy Tail, she still didn't know what she really wanted. She had no special goal other than to master her magic and to be a good nakama for her friends. There was no other goal she had in her life and sometimes she envied Lucy for her ambition to write a novel, Cana for her drive to become an S-class mage which was reinstated after the Tenrou-Island-disaster and everything which had followed – with a simple difference: this time, Cana was doing it only for herself to feel better and not for someone else like all the years before.

Levy had no such goals. She was happy with what she had because it was enough for her. She had a good life and she had seen too many cases where the attempt to grab more had ended in a disaster – even though one of them was on his best way to become Fairy Tail's next master right now.

She didn't care much for the end of the road she was currently walking as long as she could enjoy her life as she walked. She wasn't naïve by all means but she saw no point in wasting time at complaining when she couldn't change anything at all no matter how much she tried and so she only smiled when it rained. It was ridiculous to attempt to keep the rain from falling and the earth needed the downpour anyway.

She knew that she wasn't the only one who felt like this. Her fellow blue-haired mages, Wendy and Juvia respectively and to a certain extend Happy as well, lived with the natural flow of energy as well. Juvia had never complained once about the downpour when they had caught outside during a mission – maybe because the Water Mage had spent most of her time living with and alongside the rain and while Juvia surely appreciated the sight of blue sky, she hadn't forgotten about her old companion. And Wendy was a child of nature because as the Sky Dragon Slayer, she had learned to go with the flow – and for Happy, well, the exceed was probably the most relaxed member of the guild as long neither Charle nor fish were harmed.

Levy remembered what it had been like when she had joined first. Everyone had been so scary back then – especially Erza and Mira. Cana had been far more mature but she had always been hanging out with either Gray or Laxus – if not with one of the adults. Back then, she had sworn that one day, she would play in the same league as the card mage who seemed to be the easiest to catch up to. But she had been wrong. To be in the same league as Cana (or later Juvia for that matter) it took more than intelligence and magical skill. They shared a passion, a will created by fire – the will to defeat anything between the mage and the goal. Levy sometimes wondered if bitterness was required to achieve this will and if it was like this, well, she would never reach this level because she wasn't bitter.

She moved on when something bad happened because there was no point in lingering in the past while future ran away from her. She was trying to fit in where a space was open. Cana and Juvia were creating their own space and while this was surely helpful, Levy often wondered if this was really the way it was supposed to be.

She watched how Erza and Evergreen argued down in the yard from her place on the windowsill and smirked slightly. While most of the other women were going out tonight – with the exception of Wendy who was too young, Juvia who had just returned from a long and exhausting mission and Cana who wasn't in the mood for once because of some argument with her father – Levy sat in her room, reading the newest chapter of Lucy's novel while she listened to the … interesting music lacrima Gajeel had given her for her birthday which contained eight hours of Gajeel's self-made songs. Seeing that Levy was the only member of the guild who could appreciate his kind of music, it had been a great present.

The Solid Script Mage sighed softly as she pushed up her glasses and returned to her work while she absentmindedly bit her lower lip as she toyed around with a loose thread of her short pants while she hummed along to the infamous song Gajeel had once presented.

A short knock on the door interrupted her musings and she turned her head towards the door where Cana's head had appeared on top of Wendy's and Juvia's while Charle rolled her eyes as she tried to look not all that annoyed.

"Yeah?" the petite mage asked as she looked at them.

"Seeing that we are all too exhausted or too young to join the official party, we were wondering if you want to join our private party in Juvia's room," Cana said with a shrug. "She got her own spa after she made it S-class mage and this is just too awesome to pass up."

"Juvia would really like to have you with her this evening," the Water Mage smiled.

"You are even allowed to hear your boyfriend's … interesting music," Cana smirked.

Levy blushed instantly and the shade of her face would have put Erza's hair to shame. "H-he is n-not my boy-boyfriend!" she stuttered.

"You look and sound exactly like Wendy-chan when we tease her about Romeo," the Card Mage said amused. "You can admit it, Levy-chan. You have fallen for the big bad dragon slayer – not that I'd blame you seeing-"

She quickly interrupted herself, obviously knowing that she had already said too much.

Levy's blush vanished and was replaced by a smug grin. "Sooo, Cana-chan," she said as she looked up to the brunette mage. "What were you just going to say, huh? _'Seeing that I've fallen for Laxus, the ex-jerk who ordered my death'_?"

"Oh, shut up, Levy," Cana snapped at her as her own blush covered her cheeks. "It's just a stupid childhood crush I've never gotten rid of – nothing all too serious."

Juvia who was obviously better informed than anyone else chuckled before she covered it up with a weird fit of coughs. "Yes…" she muttered weakly.

"Yes … stupid childhood crush indeed … you are wearing one of his shirts, Cana," Levy smirked as she locked up her room before she followed the other women back to Juvia's room where they would certainly gossip about everything – from Mirajane's pregnancy over the pretty new ring on Erza's hand to Lisanna's mysterious admirer.

Levy smiled as she walked with them. Yes, maybe she was not the strongest among the Fairy Tail mages but she was a fairy nonetheless and she would spread her wings and fly.


	51. Flames, Natsu

**51****st****: Flames**

* * *

**Summary: **_The fire had always been there._

* * *

Fire was warm. Fire made him feel comfortable while Ice and Water made him feel unwell – especially Water. Ice was as least not wet and didn't hinder him from creating his flames. Ironically, Natsu liked Juvia more than he liked Gray – at least officially. The water mage was far too polite to insult his intelligence whenever they met. (Natsu was smart. He just never took the time to devise a strategy before he headed straight into a disaster.)

No, he preferred the Fire anyway. (No offence, Juvia, really.)

He grinned widely as he watched how Laxus was tackled by Cana and fell into the snow. That served the cocky Lightening Mage right, the Fire Dragon Slayer decided. The snow below him – cold as it was – didn't bother him all that much because inside his body, the flames were still burning and so he didn't feel the cold.

He laughed out loud as he watched how Evergreen smashed Fried's face into the snow as Bixslow's babies circled above them. Even the Thundergod Tribe had taken a few days off to enjoy the holidays. Lucy and Levy walked through the snow with Gajeel as 'the Shrimp's bodyguard' trailing behind them. Everyone wore thick coats and hats to be protected against the cold. He barely recognised Lisanna who sneaked up on Bixslow to throw him into the snow as Elfman and Evergreen got all starry-eyed as they looked at each other.

A snow ball fight was started when Fried took revenge on Evergreen and Natsu couldn't stand by the sidelines any longer and joined them. He liked the winter nearly as much he liked the winter – if not more because of the snow fights.

He laughed as he watched how Happy tried to slide angelic over the frozen lake to impress Charle and slipped over a twig and crashed onto his face and tried to grin widely and to act cool in spite of his injuries which led Wendy to cradle his poor little body for a moment and to wrap her scarf around him.

The complete scenery was strangely sweet and homely that he wasn't sure if he really wanted the summer to come again.

He changed his opinion when Erza and Mira lost control over their sleigh and crashed into him. Both S-class mages apologised quickly and dashed away to start another attempt as night well above town.

Gildarts who was building a snow man with Cana's help was complaining about his mild cold which hadn't kept him from joining them in the snow as Evergreen complained over her cold feet. (Maybe someone should have told her that high heels weren't the best shoes when it was planned to play in the snow.) Natsu grinned as a snowball hit him square into the face and threw another one back at Juvia.

With Midwinter approaching, it would be dumb to hold any grudges and a little bit of snow wouldn't kill a dragon slayer like him.

The holiday cheer, however, didn't keep him from cursing Gray who stuffed snow down his coat because this was cold, _cold_, **cold**.

But this was what Midwinter was like in the Fairy Tail guild. Mira would make sure that the Secret Santa tradition would be kept alive (even though many suspected that she might be manipulating the system for matchmaking purposes), pranks were pulled (Natsu would never forget Erza's face when everyone had gifted socks because everyone had believed that she needed them most) – and most of the time, when everyone was drunk, Cana was completely sober which happened rarely.

Natsu grinned as he went after Gray because even in the coldest winter, the flame burnt.


	52. Mermaid, Aquarius

**52****nd****: Mermaid**, Aquarius

* * *

**Summary**: _She had to see that others were suffering even more to reach her goal._

* * *

She was angry – once again. She sat on a stone in the lake of the celestial spirit realm where Pisces had been training their combat in their weaker form before the spirits had left the water to resume their stronger form.

She glared at the leaving spirits – especially at their legs because they were able to walk and to fight even on land while she was damned to stay in the water.

Aries – _Aries_ of all people – had pointed out that she had been acting strange lately and no matter how much it hurt to admit it, the shy pink-haired spirit was right. Technically, Aquarius had everything and yet, she envied everyone who had legs. By now, she was more than willed to exchange bodies with any spirit who had legs – even if it meant to have Corona Australis' ridiculous bright pink hair and lacking sense for fashion for the next eternity. Ah well, speaking of the devil…

"You have been missing the general training yesterday," the pink-haired swordswoman said as she sat down on the shore. "I was worried that you might be sick."

"And since when do you care for your fellow spirits, Corona?" the water-bearer snapped.

"Hey, calm the hell down, Aquarius-sama," the other woman said sarcastically. "So, let me guess: Aries was right and something is the matter with you. You are annoyed by something and it's my duty as a fellow spirit to ensure that you won't lose it."

"You and Aries and even Virgo and the other women … do you think that you are better than me?" Aquarius asked depressed as she stared at the water. "Look, when I first came to be, I was told that I am good the way I am … but I am so useless. I can only be summoned if water is around and I can only do that one water attack … and that water mage can outcounter me. I cannot fight on land … I should be stronger."

"You are perfect the way you are, Aquarius. Look, we cannot even stand each other and I say nice things to do. Look at the water. True, there is one water mage who managed to defeat you in your own realm and that got to hurt. But your power is a pretty neat thing if you ask me."

"Says the swordswoman," the mermaid-like spirit snorted. "As long as you have your sword, you win most fights for your master who happens to be a complete jerk."

"I could a new sword after so many centuries of fights though," the other woman sighed. "I think that we are both different in a good way. I would probably lose to a human master of swordsmanship but I don't care because even though I dislike my master, I will serve him with greatest respect until he is defeated and someone else will receive my key."

"Other than your incompetent master, you have no problems, Corona. That's the difference. You have everything … you got the legs, the allrounder skill and the guy."

"You think so? Very funny," the pink-haired woman said amused. "Look at the sky, Aquarius. It still holds so many secrets and everything we possess is worthless anyway. I have only very few things I really care for … like my sword even though I wish for an update after so many years. It's getting too old-fashioned lately."

"But … you can walk around in the human world! You can see the other side. You may say that it's no big deal but it's a huge deal to me. You can grab your useless boyfriend and go dancing all night long because you look like humans.,"

"I have pink hair, remember?"

"So? Many mages around my master have strange hair colours as well. The point is that you can leave this world without that anyone would wonder what you are. When I am somewhere else, everyone knows that I am a celestial spirit. I would sell my soul for a chance to get to know the other world."

"To leave this world is bothersome and might get me in trouble with the King. And I never thought that you of all people would lose your pride as a celestial spirit. The thing is that no one is completely happy with his or her appearance – especially not the human-like spirits. Leo complains about his hair, Aries about her horns. You complain about your fin and I'd rather have a less bright hair colour. But we cannot change what we are. In the end, we were meant to be nothing but mere objects but by overcoming our empty pride that we are the King's most trusted servants, we can develop our own pride."

"So, what are you proud of? Because I am sure as hell that you aren't proud of your master because you are complaining for years in the Human World…"

"The guy summons me whenever he is unable to cook his dinner. Do I look like a maid to you?" the swordswoman said annoyed. "But yes, I have a different pride: I am proud that I have never been defeated in a battle between my summoner and another summoner – no matter how much I wish to change my master soon."

A loud noise interrupted their conversation as Corona Borealis, Northern Crown, appeared and Corona Australis had to suppress a scream as she saw her partner's state. She got up and hurried over to him before she hugged him tightly. "Are you okay?" she managed to ask before she was summoned as well.

"No, I am not okay," the black-haired man muttered. "Hell, a dragon slayer…"

Aquarius raised her eyebrow. "What's going on?" she asked. "All day long, Yukino-san's and Lucy's spirits were summoned in and out of the Spirit Realm…"

"Big battle of mages," he shrugged. "No water – that's why you are still here. Master used me to protect himself … I could have won if it hadn't been for this."

In spite of her usual demeanour and her grudge against the swordsmen, Aquarius felt sorry for them. Every spirit had had at least one slightly psychotic summoner at one point or another but the Southern and the Northern Crown always got the weirdoes among the mages. Once they had been owned by rivalling mages and had been forced to fight each other again and again which had – according to the pink-haired nuisance – ruined their formerly great relationship which had been based on trust. They had recovered from this emotional trauma after a few years under the care of a sweet and kind summoner before they had continued their journey through the hands of psychopaths. And now, they had a summoner who rivalled the former summoner of Aries and Leo, Karen Lilica, on terms of cruelty. There hadn't been a time when Corona Australis hadn't returned in a state of complete disarray and close to tears which was shocking for everyone who knew the tough woman. The problem was that injuries caused by the summoner himself weren't a reason for a spirit to return on his own accord – it had to be an injury caused by an enemy or another celestial spirit under the mage's command.

Aquarius drifted over to Borealis and patted his shoulder in an awkward way. "I wish that I could do something," she said calmly. She was fiercely protective about her fellow spirits. Once, a century ago, she had forced her gate open with sheer willpower to fight alongside Pisces when the Paired Fish had been trapped in water where they were at their weakest. She had also come to Libra's help once when the other spirit had been cornered and her summoner's power had been decreasing fast because of an injury.

Aquarius' pride was different from Leo's or Aries' – she took great pride in the fact that she had never failed her summoner or her comrades even though she would have kicked herself for leaving Lucy in the battle against Angel. Well, she had no legs so the kicking-herself-idea was kind of stupid anyway but so was her huge pride. She hated to see others in pain – even the Crowns didn't deserve such a fate.

"Pisces were just summoned in their human form," Borealis said as he watched the gleaming stars above them. "If they leave enough water, you might join the battle as well, Aquarius, but wait until they are finished or you will end up hindering them."

"Aren't you going to join the battle again as well?" the mermaid asked. "You are recovering quite fast after all … damn you and your stamina."

"No, I won't return today," he said. "Usually, yes, I would switch with Corona as soon as I am able to hold my sword again but I would end up fighting Pisces and this would be quite dumb of me because Corona has a higher anti-water-protection than I have."

"So, a dragon slayer and Pisces' summoner fight against yours?" Aquarius asked, more or less desperate for the details of the battle as she felt how Scorpio was summoned as well after Capricorn and Leo returned from wherever they had been summoned to.

"From what I saw, it's a huge battle out there," the black-haired man replied, watching how Aries blushed at Leo's encouragement before she disappeared as well – obviously having been summoned to the same fight everyone else had been going to or returning from.

"I am going crazy here! Everyone is fighting and I am forced to wait here like a little kid! No, not like a little child … like worthless scum because children are allowed to fight."

Libra who looked like she had just gotten a beating coughed as she stumbled over to them with her veil being half-ripped of. "Pisces said that they will switch with you as soon as Corona returns," she said as she collapsed onto the shore. "Yukino-san is alright and from what I saw, Lucy-sama is fine as well, Aqua."

A loud crash and Pisces reappeared next to the lake, coughing just as bad as Libra and tumbling as well. "Hell, Corona held back and still got us, momma," the son stated.

"Aqua, it's your turn now," the mother nodded as she supported her son. "Force your goddamn gate open and end this damned fight before our summoner gets hurt."

"Understand," the female spirit said as she concentrated. "See you later, okay?"

"Don't forget to kick my summoner's ass for abusing me and Corona all the time," Borealis said as she disappeared in a loud crash and reappeared without a sound in the middle of the battle. For a moment, she looked at her hands and her urn, wondering how she had gotten here in her daze and her euphoria that she had been able to force her own gate open – with was always a feat for a celestial spirit.

"Uh-oh," Corona said as she raised her sword but in spite of her words, the zodiac spirit saw the hopeful gleam in her eyes. _'Please, free us, Aquarius.'_

"Aquarius!" the white-haired summoner of Pisces and Libra called out as she looked at the water-bearer in awe. "What – how?"

"Pisces left enough water for me to appear in this place," she said as she swung her urn – and for once, she took the time to aim properly and missed Corona on purpose and hit the swordsmen summoner with her complete power which was more than enough to knock him out. She snorted as she picked up the both keys and handed them over to Corona. "I trust you to pick up a better summoner this time," she said annoyed. "Really, Corona, it's not all that difficult – but I'll kill you if it's my summoner. She already got so many spirits that she hardly uses me and you know that I can't stand that."

"Thanks, Aquarius," Corona said as she sheathed her sword again and stepped onto her summoner's hands. "I will make a better decision this time. I promise."

"You know that there aren't many decent summoners left in this world, right?"

"Yeah … and that's why I would like to ask you, Yukino-san, to become our new summoner," the pink-haired woman said as she turned towards the white-haired woman and the black-haired man next to her. "I guess that Borealis and me where the reason why you picked him as opponent in first place."

Aquarius took this as her clue to return to the spirit realm where the others were waiting.

"Mission complete?" Leo asked with a grin.

"What did you expect?" she replied with a scoff.


	53. Fooled, Erza Knightwalker, AU

**53****rd****: Fooled**

* * *

**Summary**: _All her life was a huge lie and despite knowing this, she still tried to convince herself that she was doing the right thing._

* * *

"You are unhappy," the blue-haired teenager said softly. "I … I am sorry to see this."

She scoffed as she brushed away a hint of dust from her dress. "I have no time for your mind games, Mystogan," she snapped at her friend. "You see, some of us actually have to-"

He hugged her tightly and patted her shoulder. "I know, Erza, I know," he muttered. "He broke up with you, didn't he? That's why you are so … irritated."

She wrapped her arms around him. "I am really so ugly?" she asked silently.

"Ugly?" he asked with wide eyes. "Erza, you are beautiful. Don't you have a mirror? You look amazing – unless you cry. No one can be pretty when he cries."

"Just look at my hair … I look like my head's aflame most of the time," she muttered.

"That is what makes you so beautiful," he replied. "You can walk around and you can think that you are ugly but I can see that you are beautiful. And I am always right."

She snorted. "I hate this life," she whispered.

"I know," he replied as he patted her shoulder. He knew her better than anyone else knew her. He knew about her hidden tears when someone snapped back at her and made a cruel remark. True, she was Erza Knightwalker and it was ridiculous that she would be anything but absolutely perfect but sometimes, the pressure was too much of her. She was a girl before everything else and people tended to forget about this. They only saw her ambition and her drive to be better than anyone else. She wanted to be loved and he tried to give her the love she wanted but she never saw him and instead she saw other guys – guys who didn't deserve her. Guys who hurt her – and who ended up with broken noses because she wouldn't accept things like these.

"I mean … why can't I get a decent boyfriend? Even Ashley got someone by now…"

"Maybe she drugged him … or blackmail - personally, I would say that she blackmailed him into being her boyfriend. That's the same I expect between Gajeel and Levy-san."

"Well, she did walk up to him with an expression that tolerated no rejection…" the red-haired girl mused as she hugged her best friend. "We should get you a girlfriend too."

"I … I have my eyes set on someone who doesn't see me this way."

She patted his head in a sympathetic manner. "I told you not to go and fall for Cana-san," she sighed. "You know that she's dating Laxus."

He rolled his eyes. "No matter how lonely I am, we will get you a boyfriend first," he promised. "How's your twin, by the way?"

"Scarlet?" she snorted. "Bratty as always and probably making out with your twin, Mystogan … she will never let go of him at this rate."

It was a nearly ridiculous anecdote. Erza Knightwalker and her twin Erza Scarlet had been separated after birth and both adoptive parents had named their daughter Erza because it had seemed to be the only fitting name for the girl. Erza Knightwalker had been shocked to hear this because in her perfect world, there was only one Erza: herself. And so she had grown to shun her sister wherever she could. She had been happy before she had found out about Scarlet and now, all her life was a huge lie and despite knowing this, she still tried to convince herself that she was doing the right thing by being the worst bully ever.

Maybe this was the only way she could stand the pressure and everything else.

"You need to accept her," he said softly as he patted her head. "But I won't force you to do anything you wouldn't like to do. I'm not that kind of guy."

"And that's why you are so perfect," she smiled as she kissed his cheek. "C'mon, break is nearly over and I don't want you to get in trouble, Mystogan." She wrapped her arm around him and dragged him back to the school building. "You are Mr Perfect after all."

Kain, the school's residence playboy, smirked as he saw them passing, "Hey, Mystogan, have you been making out with Knightwalker or why is her hair so red?"

"Kain, shut up," Mystogan said as he rolled his eyes. "And grow up, will you? We are friends, understood? You might want to become a little bit more mature, hell."

Erza hissed at the slim boy before she looked around for someone to yell at.

"Knightwalker, Mystogan, hey there," Zeref, the always cheerful class president, said as he threw Kain a glare. "Please don't bother them again, Kain, or you will get into trouble."

"Shut up, Zeref," the other boy sighed.

"Oh my gosh, there's Zeref-kun!" one of the black-haired boy's obsessed fangirls yelled and the aforementioned teenager disappeared into thin air.

"Pathetic brats," Ultear said as she kicked Kain's shin. "And now, get away," she snapped before she smiled brightly. "I heard from a reliable source that you guys are dating now."

Erza who was sick of all the rumours nodded. "Yes," she said. "Mystogan and I are dating."

The blue-haired boy had merely half a second to realise what was going on before she nudged him and he nodded hastily.

"Hah, I totally called that one, Mira!" the girl grinned as she dashed away.

"So, we are dating now?" Mystogan asked silently.

"Yeah," she said. "It will spare us the trouble of searching partners and I can stand you more than most guys I dated."


	54. Happiness, Rogue, Yukino

**54****th****: Happiness**

* * *

**Summary**: _Happiness was a floating thing, difficult to hold. They knew this._

* * *

"…just how many times a week you can be summoned?" Yukino asked as she stared at the pink-haired swordswoman and her black-haired partner. "Six days each week?"

"After Leo, we were always the most diligent spirits," the man said with a shrug. "It's kind of normal for us to work this often. If you don't want to summon us this often, we are fine with this as well … but we learned that it's better to be generous when the contract is made instead of being abused all the time. We … we weren't lucky with our masters in the past. Oh, and we cannot only fight. Corona is a pretty good cook as well and I actually like gardening and babysitting."

"B-but … that's not your original purpose, is it?" the white-haired woman asked slowly.

"Tsk, if we had stayed with our original purpose, we wouldn't bee such useful keys," the pink-haired woman said with a smile. "Borealis-kun and I are used to hard work because this was the only way we knew to keep our former masters happy all the time."

"Okay," the celestial spirit mage said with a nod. "So, Borealis-san, you will work all the days with the exception of Sunday and you, Australis-san, you will work from Sunday to Friday, alright? So one of you will always be able to be summoned."

"Yukino-sama, if it's absolutely necessary, none of us would complain if you would call us on our day off," the male spirit said with a shrug. "We would prefer working overtime over having a dead master any day. Just allow us to rest every now and then so that we can recover in between our fights. That's all we ask for. The contract is only supposed to protect our right on breaks in between of fights. In cases of urgency, however, we allow you to summon us as often as needed. We are known as extremely loyal spirits after all."

For a moment, Yukino was silent as she looked at her newest spirits. Corona Australis was a slim woman with long pink hair who wore a pretty black dress with golden trims and a sword on her side while Corona Borealis who was black-haired wore a dark blue tuxedo with silver lines with his sword on his side. It was somehow very obvious that they were dating and while she had heard from Lucy that it sometimes caused trouble, Yukino felt that these spirits had had their personal issues sorted out since centuries.

"Very well," she said as she picked up a notepad. "So, um, we still need to make an official contract – just in case that something bad happens and you got to prove to your king that you aren't to blame. Um, so let's simply say that I can summon each of you on six different days each week? Or would you rather be able to plan when I will summon you?"

"Yukino-sama," Corona Australis said with a smirk. "We are both technically able to cross our gates at our own will. That means that we will become a bother to you soon enough because … you are probably the first decent master we have in more than hundred years."

"That's surely terrible but you don't have to prove yourselves to me. I am more than honoured to have two unique spirits combat spirits under my … partners," the white-haired woman said. "I even hope that we will be friends soon. I like to know my spirits after all."

"This is something we wish for as well," Corona Australis said before they vanished.

"And that was the big ceremony?" Rogue asked from his place on the couch. "I expected you to write a contract with your own blood or something like this."

"Yeah," the white-haired woman said as she sat down as well. "It went better than I expected. I feared that they would be picky with the days when I can call them. I wouldn't have blamed them – their last master was a real bastard but it was still a nice feeling that they trust me enough to allow me to summon them so many times."

"Spirits are fascinating beings," the Dragon Slayer admitted as he leaned back. "And I think that you made them really, really happy today. They had light inside their eyes when they left to wherever Celestial Spirits like to hang out."

"They have been through a lot of bad things," she whispered as she looked into the distance. "In a way, they remind me of myself. I also tried my best to please Master Jiemma – and I failed just as badly as they failed. I also underestimated my opponent … and this hurt. Well, I believe that they may be happier now."

"Just like we are happier as well," he said with a smile as he ran his thumb over her wrist. "I think that's the real point why they remind you of us. They also are happier after they were able to leave their master. I would only worry that you will get an eight-courses-dinner tonight. The Southern Crown seemed to be quite interested in saying thank you."

"There are worse things when dinner if you have someone to share it with, Rogue."

"Frosch thinks so too!" the exceed announced as she smiled up at the celestial spirit mage. "Frosch thinks that it's better to eat with friends."

"So you will be eating with Pantherlily-san again?" Yukino asked politely.

"Yes!"


	55. Opposing Gates, Stellar Spirits

**55****th****: Opposing Gates**

* * *

**Summary**: _They had been made to fight each other anyway._

* * *

It happened rarely – especially lately – but it happened. Leo was one of the more sensitive spirits and he felt when one of his kinsmen was summoned and each time, he prayed that no second spirit would be summoned to the same fight as well – or at least not to the other side because if this happened, the whole Realm of Celestial Spirits froze.

Aquarius would stop her conversation with Scorpio or Pisces to pray silently that it would end with a draw because she knew that fights between spirits rarely ended when the battle was over in the Human world.

Libra would sigh and buy cacao because most spirits came to her to talk about the fight because she was supposed to be the best listener among her fellow spirits.

Aries was an unlucky spirit because she had the highest score of fights against a fellow spirit which was probably part of the reason why she always apologised.

The Archer and the Maiden would lower their heads and try to skip away while Scorpio tried to cheer everyone up which ended in a failure most of the time. Cancer would sign and disappear in his own house while Taurus would end up being slapped by the female part of Pisces for his perverted comments which were originally supposed to loosen up the tension in the realm. Pisces themselves would try to get the other spirits to talk about the slightly traumatic experience to fight your friends over and over but it rarely worked.

Capricorn, however, merely shook his head. "No matter how long it is all fun and games in this world, we have a duty and I fail to see the point in complaining about this duty."

The terrible thing about this sentence was, as Leo had concluded, that he was right. They had been made to fight each other anyway after all. All in all, the situation was always complicated because it was difficult not to take sides even though everyone knew that those fights between the spirits were nothing personal.

"I hate this," Aries had once said, long ago. "To fight a friend is wrong."

"A lot of things are wrong in this world, Aries-chan," Aquarius had agreed. "But we cannot change the ways of this world."

"As much is obvious," the Ram had admitted.


	56. Flowers, Mira, Elfman

**56****th****: Flowers**

* * *

**Summary**: _The withering flowers announced the end of another year, of another year without Lisanna, another year without their little sister._

* * *

Autumn came fast that year – too fast if you asked Elfman or Mirajane Strauss, the formerly renowned Takeover Siblings from Fairy Tail. But the Takeover Siblings had been three mages with white hair and blue eyes and Mirajane and Elfman were merely two of them because they had lost the third one, their little sister.

Lisanna Strauss had died little more than a year ago.

And while Elfman had had the strength to keep going even with the pain inside his chest, Mira was still stuck in her post-traumatic haze, unable to break free and to accept the death of her sister.

**Lisanna had died.**

She had disappeared completely, both soul and body were no longer to be found on this planet. She had left completely, with all her little flaws and her good intentions which had killed her in the end.

While Elfman was going through hell because he had lost control over his Takeover, Mira was torturing herself over and over again because while her brother would at least _talk_ about what had happened, she was silent. She couldn't speak about the tragedy. She couldn't speak about Lisanna who had always picked flowers for her birthday because the youngest sibling had known that the oldest one loved flowers. She couldn't speak about Lisanna, the girl she had made hot chocolate for when she had been ill.

For their fellow guild members, it was a difficult situation as well and with the exception of a few mages (Bixslow and Evergreen who still couldn't understand what had happened) no one ever mentioned Lisanna and sometimes, Mira wondered if this was the right way to deal with the tragedy of Lisanna's death. Maybe it would have been easier to deal with the loss of the cheerful young girl if Lisanna hadn't been injured by her own brother because of a lapse of judgement on Mira's behalf. Maybe it would have been easier to understand if Lisanna had been killed by a dark mage on a mission she had picked out herself.

Lisanna's death had changed the guild. Mira felt it with every day she was in the guildhall, giving out beer and meals and trying to smile to cover up her broken heart. Natsu had gotten slightly more careful, Erza had grown overprotective and Gray had become friendlier towards his nakama instead of ice cube behaviour which he had had beforehand. That Bisca and Alzack had formed a team was also a consequence of Lisanna's death because the tragedy had made everyone realise how fast a life could be over when fate struck. Even Laxus had changed – but in a bad way. He had distanced himself from his only real friend, Cana, and Mira knew why: he was scared that he would break apart just like she had broken. Laxus was scared that Cana might be his Lisanna and that her death would shatter him – and nothing Mira said could make him change his mind.

Sometimes when she looked around in the guildhall, she wondered whether Lisanna would have wanted her death to change everyone so badly or if she had rather seen them smile and laugh brightly even without her. She was pretty sure that Lisanna wouldn't have wanted this but Fairy Tail was infamous for the incapability of letting go.

Elfman hated the current situation. He hated to watch the depressed faces of every single person in the guild. He hated the seemingly carefree smile on his sister's face. He hated the way his heart ached whenever he thought of Lisanna. He hated how nothing he could do would ever heal Mira's shattered heart and her broken soul.

He hated that he hadn't been man enough to protect his sisters.

He hated that his mistake was part of the reason why Cana and Laxus weren't even talking anymore. He hated how Evergreen who had been his friend once could no longer bear to look into his eyes because she felt some misplaced guilt – just like Bixslow too because the two members of the Thundergod Tribe had seen them when they had left.

He hated how he didn't know anymore where one dream had ended and where reality had begun. He hated – especially – the fact that in the end, he was only a human being who had failed not only his little sister but also every friend Lisanna had had and every person in the guild who had loved the cheerful girl.

Sometimes, he couldn't even bear to look into the mirror because he hated the man looking back at him with every fibre of his soul – and yet, he tried to atone for his sin. This was the reason behind all the jobs he took even though he made sure not to overestimate himself because he wasn't sure what Mira would do if he would follow Lisanna.


	57. Kids, Elfgreen

**57****th****: Kids**

* * *

**Summary**: _Babysitting duty. Was there anything else to say?_

* * *

"Babysitting duty," Mira announced with a wide smirk as she patted Cana's shoulder while the Card Mage looked like she needed a drink – or ten. "Since Natsu and Gray messed up quite a lot public propriety, we kinda owe the city as much."

"So, um, who will babysit?" Levy asked as she bit her lower lip and raised her eyebrow.

"Everyone who is there right now – in teams of two," Cana said darkly "I prepared the cards for this case. Every man will take one card – and it will show the face of the woman with whom it will be the easiest to complete the task."

"Well, I will go first since grandfather ditched me with the guild and everything," Laxus said as he rolled his eyes. "Pathetic that a babysit quest will be my big chance to get away from this guildhall for a few hours."

"Here you go," the Card Mage said as she held out the cards. "Choose only one, yes?"

The blond man rolled his eyes as he picked a card. "I am not that insatiable, Alberona," he said with a shrug before Gajeel interrupted him.

"Oi, Shrimp, looks like we are partners in this as well," he announced smugly as the male members of Shadow Gear groaned because their strongest member was teaming up with the Iron Dragon Slayer – again.

"Luce, we are partners as well!" Natsu said as he chuckled. "That will be awesome!"

"Juvia and I will work together too," Gray said while the Water Mage nearly fainted.

Fried nodded at Mira who smiled brightly back at him while Bixslow wrapped his arm around Lisanna and proudly declared her as his _'most awesome and prettiest partner ever'_. Evergreen sent them a glare because she felt badly reminded of TenrouIsland.

"Alberona," Laxus said as he nudged her.

"No, Dreyar, you can't change partners with anyone," she said impatiently as she turned around to glare properly at him.

"I wasn't trying to request a new partner," he sighed. "We are partners."

Erza grinned widely as she grabbed a job from the S-class board. "So, darlings, since Romeo and Wendy are the last team and I am nobody's partner, I am going on a job now," she said unusually cheerful as she grabbed her suitcase. "Don't expect me back anytime soon, yes? Jellal said that we could meet up and talk about the good old times."

"Good that you are honest," Mira said drily. "We would have had it figured out in a few minutes anyway because you were just a little bit too enthusiastic and too keen on leaving. Tell me that we all said hello and that we expect him and his guild for our Midwinter party. I heard from Sherry who heard it from Lyon that Ultear makes great cookies."

"Noted," the redhead said as she dashed away.

"Okay, since we have enough teams now, we cou-"

"I am sorry, Mira, but there has to be a malfunction in this system," Evergreen interrupted as she crossed her arms. "Why am I Elfman's partner? Shouldn't he work with someone else? Someone … someone who didn't nearly get him killed last time?"

A lightening bolt missed her by millimetres as Cana fumed next to the bar.

"There is no malfunction, Evergreen," Mira said as her face softened. For a moment, she had been tempted to rip the brunette apart in midair because for a short moment, she had believed that Evergreen didn't want to work with Elfman because she believed him to be weak. But now the Takeover Mage understood that Evergreen was scared of failing again and that her failure would cause Elfman's death this time.

"Don't worry, Ever," Fried said calmly. "This is babysitting. You will be safe – both."

* * *

"…say 'man', c'mon," Elfman said as he looked at the small boy they were taking care of as Evergreen started to consider suicide as the best way to uphold her honour. "Man…"

She looked up from her book and sighed deeply. "He is seven months old. He won't speak. And he is supposed to sleep now," she said tiredly as she wondered how the others were doing. She was actually pretty sure that Mira and Fried were faring pretty well while Natsu had probably already burned down the flat.

"Maybe he's a genius and starts to talk earlier," Elfman suggested as he sat down on the couch after he had tucked the baby in. "Lisanna-nee spoke very early in her life…"

"I am bored," Evergreen announced after she set down her book. "We should play a game or something like that before I fall asleep. I never fall asleep during a job."

"I would play 20 questions with Lisanna when she would be bored during a job…"

"I am surprised that you consider this game manly enough," she snorted as she nodded. "But it's actually a pretty good idea. You can begin, by the way."

"Hmh … what's your favourite book?" he asked as he closed one eye.

"That's a difficult question … I think it would be _Why fighting for peace_ is pointless by that silver-haired Water Mage who was Miss Fiore more than thirty years ago before she was killed in action," she replied. "The book was written in a touchy yet sober way." She shrugged. "Why did you and your siblings join Fairy Tail instead of another guild?"

"That's because of our mother … she was Lamia Scale's ace back in the days … her type of magic was the same as Mira-nee's … but she fell ill a long time ago and … withered. Yeah, that's maybe the best way to say it. She disappeared while we could only watch … probably out of grief because two years before she … died, both our father and her best friend didn't return from their respective jobs," Elfman said solemnly. "We didn't join Lamia Scale because the thing we remember the best about our mother is her deep red guild stamp … on the inner side of her wrist … it was always there, you know?"

"I understand," she said as she awkwardly patted his shoulder. "Believe me, I understand."

"Your next question awaits you, Ever," he said. "Why are you following Laxus?"

She was silent for a moment. "It's because I see things differently from most people," she finally said. "Every member of the Thundergod Tribe has a gift regarding his or her eyes … and sometimes I believe that we don't see the people as what they are but as what they will be. It's no fortunetelling – that is still Cana's thing but … it keeps us all going."

* * *

To drag child and man to the park had been one of her smarter ideas and so Evergreen was very busy congratulating herself when she spotted something which was pretty hard to believe: Laxus and Cana had been tied to a tree and despite their obvious attempts, they had failed to free themselves so far. Around the tree ran two hyperactive boys who were maybe five years old – but obviously skilled enough to outsmart two full-fledged mages.

"Ever!" Laxus called out. "Would you mind to free us? We can't move our hands and so Cana can't use a card to get us away from this damn tree."

"Language, Laxus, language!" Cana snapped at him as she tried to glare at the children which failed pretty pathetically because her eyes were hidden under her hair.

"Be a man and free yourself, Laxus," Elfman said with a little wave.

"Elfman!" Laxus said annoyed. "Cut off those stupid ropes, now!"

"Not so bossy, Laxus!" his own partner said as she managed to kick him. "You really should start working on your social skill, damn!"

**"Water Slicer!"**

"Thanks, Juvia," the Card Mage sighed as she massaged her wrists before she ran after one of the boys. "Hurry up, Laxus, this is a mission like any other!"

"You saved us from hours of bitching," Evergreen sighed. "Cana and Laxus should really get their act together and make out – and get over with it."

"Juvia agrees," the Water Mage said tiredly as she braided the hair of the two-year-old girl she was babysitting with Gray who was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Gray?" Mira asked as she crossed the park with Fried who was carrying a child in his arms trailing behind. The S-class mage turned barmaid turned S-class mage radiated a murderous aura and Elfman shuddered slightly.

"He is getting something to eat for both Juvia and Lyra-chan," the blue-haired woman replied cheerfully. "He has been very cooperative so please, don't worry, Mira-san."

* * *

"…ah, so the job is already over?" Gajeel inquired with a slightly unhappy expression as he returned to the guild along with Levy. "That's too bad – I just got used to the brat…"

"As if you weren't blushing half of the time when he called you daddy," Lily taunted.

"S-shut up!" the Iron Dragon Slayer said as he paled in fury and Levy chuckled.

"That was in fact an awesome job," Gray said as he casually rested his hand on Juvia's waist. "Far better than to hunt bandits and stuff like that…"

"We don't even have to ask Cana and Laxus, they were arguing like a married couple when we saw them," Lucy said amused as she leaned against Natsu's shoulder.

"Elf-nii, Evergreen-san, how was the week for you?" Lisanna asked innocently before she winked at Bixslow who was trying very hard not to laugh.

"N-nice," the woman said as she fought back a blush. "The child was very easy to deal with and so the mission wasn't all that difficult. We actually offered the orphanage to take care of it again if necessary … since it got used to us and so on…"

"And this has nothing to do with the adoption form we found in your flat, Ever?" Fried asked but even the stoic leader of the Thundergod Tribe had to fight a smirk.

"I-I have no idea what you are talking about, man," Elfman said with a blush.


	58. Remorse, Yukino x Rogue

**58****st****: Remorse**

* * *

**Summary**: _He felt sorry for her after Jiemma threw her out of the guild._

* * *

A part of him, and this was a big part, envied her as the tattoo on her stomach faded away. Yes, she had been humiliated and her pride had been shattered along with her heart but she was still far better off than him and he wanted to be like her … free and able to make her own decisions.

All his life, he had wanted everything … power and glory, everything had to be his but now he had to realise that these things wouldn't make him a better person and that he should try to be more like the white-haired woman who cried bitter tears of humiliation right now.

He had tried to be like his idol, Gajeel Redfox, the iron dragon slayer who accepted no weakness and who looked down on those who were weak – or at least, that was what other people believed the black-haired man to be. But today, as he had left the arena, he had caught a short glimpse on his idol and he had seen how Gajeel had smiled at the short blue-haired female from his guild who hadn't even been chosen to take part in the games so perhaps, Gajeel wasn't as gruff as the rumours about him suggested.

His fist tightened as he watched the excommunication with an expressionless face while anger rose inside his mind. This was unfair. Sting had failed as well and he wasn't thrown out for this while she who had failed just once as well was treated like trash. He wanted to speak up on her behalf but his voice failed him as he remembered that he wasn't responsible only for himself. To speak against the master might have consequences for Frosch and he didn't want this.

After everything was said and done, he strolled through the town to clear his head after the images of the day. He stared at the ground to his feet and nearly crashed into the blue-haired fairy who stared at him with disgust and anger.

"I am … sorry," he said quietly before he was face to face with his idol who glared at him.

"I hope that you are sorry 'cause if you're not, I will make you feel sorry for crashing into the shrimp," Gajeel said harshly as he looked at the woman for a moment. "You okay, shorty?"

"Yes, Gajeel, I am okay," she sighed as she grabbed his arm. "C'mon, let's go. We aren't supposed to get into trouble, remember? Laxus will have your head if you stir up something…"

"I was just making sure that this guy apologises properly, shrimp," Gajeel said.

"And you could really learn my name, you know?" she sighed as she poked his chest. "It's really not that hard, Gajeel. It's L-E-V-Y."

"You know, Laxus taught me how to remember it," the long-haired man smirked. "It's L for lovely, E for elegant, V for valuable and Y for you. He said that I might get in trouble for not remembering your name. Sounded like booze chick froze him once when he called her 'woman' for more than eight weeks…"

Rogue stared at them with a disbelieving expression on his face. This had to be some strange dream or maybe he had been dragged into a strangely warped reality. If Laxus Dreyar and Gajeel Redfox both had trouble to remember the names of their respective girlfriends, how could they be a decent idol for anyone? And how could he want to be like Gajeel if the iron dragon slayer failed at the easiest tasks?

"Cana sent him to sleep on the couch," the blue-haired woman giggled.

"I already said that I am sorry," Rogue said slightly impatient.

"I hope that you are really sorry 'cause no one messes with my girl, understood?" the iron dragon slayer said as he wrapped one arm around the fragile woman. "The last ones who tried are still comatose and no matter how much of a mage you think you are, no one gets away with that."

"Gajeel…" the woman sighed as she tried to drag him away. "Please, calm down. He didn't mean it."

"He did mean to … lowly Sabertooth-bastards…" Gajeel muttered. "Picking on the fragile mages…"

"I didn't run into her to bully her," Rogue said. "And I apologised twice, alright? Can I please go now? I have other places to be, you see?"

Frosch nodded hastily as she eyed the intimidating black exceed who stood next to the blue-haired Fairy Tail mage with one paw on the hilt of his sword. "We wanted to find Yukino-sama," she said.

"Your celestial spirit mage?" the black exceed asked. "She has been talking with Lucy and Natsu."

"I hope she didn't do anything foolish," Rogue said as he bit his lip. "Please excuse me."

"Weird guy," Gajeel muttered as the other dragon slayer rushed away. "And did you see his cat? Lily is far more awesome than that cosplayer."

* * *

Rogue never knew that his life could be so cold and dark before he had joined Sabertooth, the strongest guild in Fiore. But even there had been a single ray of light and this had been Yukino who had been kind and soft – too kind and too soft for the guild. Together, they had made their way through the maze inside the guild and he had never believed that one day, she might be taken away from him. He wanted to find her to tell her that he was sorry – sorry that he hadn't spoken up for her in front of the master and sorry that he hadn't taken her away from the guild earlier.

But maybe, there was still time left for him to save her, to show her that there was someone who really cared about her.

Finally, Frosch who had been flying above his head saw the silver-haired woman and together, the exceed and the dragon slayer caught up to the confused celestial spirit mage. "Rogue and Fro?" she asked with a little frown.

"Hey," Rogue said with a slight smile. "I just wanted to tell you that I am sorry for today."

"You didn't do anything and it wasn't your fault that I was thrown out," she said as she patted Fro's head as the exceed hugged her tightly. "And … I am fine with everything. There is no problem I am facing right now. I am healthy and didn't get hurt too badly. I will manage, you see?"

"I should have said something," he said. "I mean … we are friends … well, as much as you can be friends with another person without being caught under Minerva's cruelty. Anyway, I wanted to give you some money because whatever you are going to do now, you will need cash. And there, that's a communication lacrima. When you get in trouble, give me a call. It's connected to the one I am currently carrying around with me."

Because remorse about a wrong decision was far easier to handle when he corrected it instantly.


	59. Fish, Charle x Happy

**58****th****: Fish**

* * *

**Summary**: There was a reason for everything.

* * *

Fish. She was a cat but she really, really disliked fish. To her, it was simply not good enough – or maybe it was because of all the half-rotten fish she had been forced to eat before she had found Wendy.

She had never expected Happy who believed fish to be something sacred to understand her dislike for fish and her preference for a good cup of tea.

Pantherlily on the other hand could relate to her because back in Edolas, fish had been rare and therefore unavailable for him. He had gotten used to fruits and vegetables and now, he preferred them over meat – much to Gajeel's delight because vegetables and fruit were cheaper than meat and the Iron Dragon Slayer was constantly out of money because he had taken up an expensive hobby which added heavily to his expenses for his own food: reading. Gajeel had started to read because he had listened to Evergreen's drunken ramblings on how the same hobby made it easier for two people to connect. (The female mage had originally intended to get Elfman to take but botanical studies but it had failed.)

Sometimes, the white exceed wished for Happy to realise that it wasn't because of him that she always rejected him but because of the fish … but her pride never allowed her to tell him this. She waited for him to figure something out, knowing that he couldn't. And so she sat there, waiting for a miracle to happen.

* * *

Wendy watched her and because she had known her cat for a very long time, she saw how the hopeful gleam in Charle's eyes fading away whenever Happy approached her with another fish as a gift. And while it took the young dragon slayer a few months to figure out what was going on, she finally came to a conclusion and when Happy was sitting alone in a corner, feeling depressed after he had been rejected once more, she sat down with him.

"…she doesn't mean it," the blue-haired girl said softly, barely loud enough for the exceed to hear her. "She's snobbish and stubborn … but she doesn't mean to hurt you. She simply cannot stand fish. She hates it to be honest."

"So, it's not me but the fish?" he asked as he looked up at her.

"Exactly," she said as she patted his head. "Maybe you should try something else, Happy."

"Thanks for the advice, Wendy!" the male exceed said before he dashed away, probably searching for another present to give Charle.

Wendy leaned back and sighed deeply. Well, this had gone well.

* * *

Charle was once more talking to Pantherlily when Happy made his way over to them. The blue cat seemed to be even more awkward than usually and she frowned as he held out a present which was not a fish for a change. "A-a … _ribbon_?" she asked.

"The old one got dirty on the job you took with Wendy, Gajeel and Lily, right? So here you have a new one," the blue cat explained. "Would you … go out with me? Natsu and Lucy have a date in the theatre tonight and I wanted to follow them…"

Lily nudged her none too gently and she nodded even though she was very confused. "S-sure," she replied.

* * *

**AN**: _I know that it's short and probably absolutely terrible but Chapter 314 killed my inspiration and my motivation to write went on a long vacation. Other than that, I had a lot of trouble with school and all those annoying things – and then, I got sick. So I am sorry and hope that you can forgive me._


	60. Victory, Lisanna x Bixslow

**59****th****: Victory**, Lisanna x Bixslow

* * *

**Summary**: _They had lost their battles but they had won the war anyway._

* * *

She kneeled on the ground, hardly being able to breath because her lungs hurt too much. She had been forced out of her takeover – something that had never happened to her before because she had always been carefully. Well, it seemed like taking care was pointless when the opponent was some inhumanly strong and fast creature.

"Oi, Lisanna," a familiar voice said as someone touched her bruised shoulder, making her flinch in pain. "You don't look fine. Is there something I can do for you?"

She turned her head, looking up to him. "You lost your visor, Bixslow," she said fearfully, knowing just too well what he was able to do when his eyes were revealed.

"Don't be scared," he said, holding out his hand. "I have no reason to attack you. I promise."

She accepted the hand and he pulled her back up, holding her waist to keep her on her feet. "I am sorry," she apologised. "I know that you don't intend to harm me or another member of our guild but … I never saw you without it before."

"Well, I kinda lost it when I dragged Fried out of the place where the explosion happened," the older mage said as he helped her to walk. "It's so ridiculous. We are the Thundergod Tribe, one of Fairy Tail's strongest teams and we were pushed around like little kids today. Fried passed out because he used too much magic – I left him in your sister's care before I went to look for you, Lisanna. How are you?"

"Terrible," she whispered. "I lost grip on my takeover earlier … like my soul rejected the magic I tried to use … this was scary. I never happened to me before … because it's not supposed to happen to a takeover mage. We are used to connecting our soul with another being's soul … it is the easiest thing in the world for us once we understand the basics."

"That sounds awfully painful – is this how you got hurt like this?" he asked, supporting her as she nearly tripped over her own feet.

"No," she said. "I got hurt when I was defeated, when I was beaten up and couldn't do anything because I couldn't get into the tigress form."

He sighed. "I know how you feel," he said, stopping his steps. "C'mon, I'll carry you back to the camp. You don't have to walk when you can hardly even stand anymore."

"You can't walk either," she replied, wondering why he only dropped his usual rude way to express himself when she was the only one around. "We will wait here until someone comes to get us. I can't take the responsibility for getting you hurt anymore."

He rolled his eyes as he carefully placed her on a rock, his babies swirling around his head, and crossed his arms. "You're a goddamn fool, Lisanna," he said. "I mean, you are seriously the only one who'd insist on taking a break in **this** place."

She glared up at him. "You can hardly walk and I cannot walk either as you pointed out before," she said. "To put further strain onto our bodies won't help us – at all."

"You are probably right," he said as he sat down next to her, wrapping his jacket around her. "You probably fought well even though you lost. Cana said that she had an easy fight and she took over where you left off, Laxus said."

"Do you think that Laxus and Cana will tell us that they are dating anytime soon?" the white-haired mage asked as she wrapped her arms around her injured legs to preserve the warmth she had left. "I mean … they are getting less good at hiding it than they were at the beginning and Mira-nee said that Fried _nearly_ dropped a hint last week…"

"How much booze did she give him before he even started speaking about this topic?"

"A lot," the young mage admitted. "She said that he was not exactly cooperative and so she had to give him quite a bit of alcohol before he even mentioned Laxus the first time."

"Interesting … maybe I should have told Laxus that it's pretty dumb to place all your secrets in the vessel who cannot hold liquor," Bixslow shrugged, wrapping an arm around her. "Are you okay, Lisanna? I mean, other than the obvious injuries…"

"I can't complain," she replied, smiling slightly back at him. "You are worried about a lot of things lately, aren't you?" she asked. "Mira-nee mentioned that you take many missions on your own … is there a special reason behind it?"

He shook his head. "Thundergod Tribe issues," he said. "Ever never wants to go, though."

"Big surprise there," Lisanna said ironically. "I caught her with Elfman last week."

"Blackmail, here I come," Bixslow said cheerfully.

"You are not nice," she scolded him gently.

"Not nice, not nice!" the babies repeated, awaking from their temporarily slumber.

"Oi, you two," Gajeel thundered as he appeared in between the trees, Levy in tow. "I hope that we ain't interrupting anything but we kinda want you to get back to the camp."

"Gajeel," the blue-haired Solid Script Mage scolded him. "Anyway, do you need help?"

"Lisanna's leg is in a mess and I'm pretty worn out, too," Bixslow admitted.

"We got some kind of sleight for you two," the Dragon Slayer said, dragging the object out of the forest. "You three jump in and I'll get you back to the base."


	61. All alone

**61st: All alone**

* * *

**Summary**: _She was far away from home, trying to accept that her old life was over. She was lying to people who didn't deserve being lied to and all she wanted was her older sister to come, take her hand and guide her home._

* * *

Lisanna hated her life in Edolas even though she tried to hide it in order to keep her identity a secret. She hated so many things about this and it was hard for her to accept that her old life was over and that she would never be able to return to her home, that she would never return to her siblings, her guild and her friends.

She also missed all the little things like Cana's drunken fortunetelling that was disturbingly precise. She missed the arguments between Mira-nee and Erza. She missed hanging out with Natsu or going on missions with her siblings. She missed Elfman yelling about being a man and secretly watching a certain self-proclaimed queen of fairies. She missed all of them so much that it nearly ripped her apart. She wondered how her sister was doing and she imagined the demon takeover mage crying – even though Mira-nee hardly showed any feelings for anyone.

Everything was just too strange in her eyes and she wanted to go home even though she knew that there was no way to go home again. She felt terribly lonely because there was no one she could take with about the guild she had left in Earthland. There was no one she could really talk with about her mixed emotions when the Edolas-version Elfman and Evergreen announced their engagement. There was no one she could tell about her worries when Levy disappeared for a few days because no one knew the fragile Levy McGarden Lisanna had know in Earthland and therefore no one could understand her worries because this Levy was strong and could deal with everything and everyone.

Lisanna smiled even though she wanted to cry because this had to be her personal hell. She was far away from her siblings and everyone else she loved. She missed her friends terribly. She even missed Natsu's and Gray's fights – and they had annoyed her nearly as much as Erza back then. She missed Loke's calmer and less playboyish attitude he rarely showed but when he showed it, he was kind and a good listener who gave great advises and who knew every constellation on the nightly sky and who claimed that the constellation Aries was his favourite one. She missed everyone and everything and she felt terribly selfish for thinking like this because she had been given a second chance to live while her own counterpart had died and she had basically stolen the other Lisanna's life, her identity and all her friends.

It felt wrong for her and sometimes, she was close to telling at least the kinder and friendlier version of Mira-nee what she felt before she remembered that this wouldn't help anyone because the Edolas-Mirajane would still have lost a sister and lying to her protected her from the truth and if loneliness was the price Lisanna had to pay, well, she gladly paid it because even if they weren't really her siblings and even though they didn't deserve being lied to all the time, it was a price Lisanna gladly paid because it meant to be able to decide something.

It was strange how much she missed everyone despite having their counterparts around her. She tried to blend in and she mostly managed to do so quite well but there were moments when she wondered if the same might happen in Earthland as well. One of these events was when Laxus who was far nicer and less obsessed with power and strength came home injured, dragged into the guild by a sweet and tomboyish Evergreen. Lisanna watched from the bar how Cana got up from the table where she had been drinking tea to look after the man who was – how the harsh and unfriendly version of Levy revealed – her boyfriend.

The idea of the normal, loud and slightly alcohol addicted Cana from Earthland dating Laxus, the power-obsessed grandson of the guild master was hilarious in Lisanna's eyes and thinking about it brightened up her days for a few weeks before the realisation that she would never know if this happened in her old guild as well hit her with full force and she tried to think of someone else and befriended Juvia, someone she hadn't known in Earthland. Juvia might be cold and distant and her way to refer to herself in third person might be strange at first but she was a good friend and this was the most important thing in Lisanna's eyes and she wondered if this woman had a counterpart in Earthland as well but once again, she didn't think too much about this because it made her remember – and she didn't want to remember.

She hated the life she led in Edolas when she was completely honest to herself. She hated every day she smiled at a member of the guild. She hated every day she had to pretend that she was someone who had died months ago. She hated to see the strangely twisted versions of her old friends. She hated that Erza who had been on her side in Earthland was her enemy now and that she started to hate Erza Knightwalker just as much as everyone else hated her after she killed Romeo, Macao's son, who had been dating Wendy, a blue-haired woman. Lisanna felt ill after she had heard that Knightwalker had murdered the young man because she remembered just too well how Erza Scarlet had played with Romeo when he had been younger and how Erza had been _terrified_ of accidentally hurting Macao's son.

No, this twisted version of reality didn't sit well with Lisanna and every morning she hoped that she would wake up in her own bed and that everything would be alright again. She subconsciously waited for her older sister to come and take her hand. She waited for Mira-nee to lead her back home – just like it had been when she had gotten lost in her childhood.

But deep down, she knew that Mira-nee would never come … because she couldn't.


End file.
